VOTES 



^TSE 



BOOE: of LEVITICUS, 



^4J(i soripture is giTcn by inspiration of God." — 2 Tm^ Ul, Id 



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CONTENTS. 




OJLAPTERI 


PAQB 
21 


u 


11 


48 


44 


III. . . . . 


86 


(( 


IV. V. 13 . 


. 113 


44 


V. 14 VL 7 . 


. 143 


CO 


VIII.,IX. . . . 
X 


. 160 
.181 


(( 


XI 


204 


u 


XII 


. 221 


a 


XIIL,XIV. . . . 


. 228 


u 


XV. . . . 


.269 


a 


XVI. . . . . 


. 275 


tf 


XVII. 


. £99 


u 


XVIIL— XX. 


. 303 


(4 


XXI., xxn. . 


. 317^ 


44 


XXIII. .... 


. 325 


(4 


XXIV. . 


. 346 


44 


XXV. . . 


. 354 


. (( 


XXVI. . 


. . 364 


44 


xxvn. 


. 368 






PREFACE. 



In the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ 
there is an infinite fulness, which meets every ne- 
cessity of man, both as a sinner and as a wor- 
shipper. The infinite dignity of His Person gives 
eternal value to His work. In the Book of Gene- 
sis we have seen "God's remedy for man's ruin '^ in 
the promised seed — the Ark of Salvation, and in 
the rich unfoldings of divine grace, to fallen and 
tsinful man. There we have the Bud^ the full- 
blown glories, and fragrance of which shall yet fill 
the heavens and the earth, with joy and gladness. 

In the Book of Exodus we have seen "God's 
answer to man's question." There, man is not 
only outside of Eden, but he has fallen into the 
hands of a cruel and a powerful enemy. He is the 
bond slave of the world. How is he to be deliv- 
er^d from Pharaoh's thraldom, from Egypt's fur- 
nace? How can he be redeemed, justified, and 
brought into the promised land ? God only could 
answer such questions, and this He did in the 
blood of the slain Lamb. In the redemption-power 
of that blood, every question is settled. It meets 
Heaven's highest claims, and man's deepest neces- 



O PREFACE. 

sities. Through its amazing efficacy, God is glori- 
fied, man is redeemed, saved, justified, and brought 
to God's holy habitation; while the enemy is com- 
pletely overthrown, and his power destroyed. 

And, now, in our meditations on the Book of 
Leviticus, we find most fully unfolded, w^iat we 
may call, "God's j^rovision for man's need;" or 
a Sacrifice, a Priest, and a Place of Worship. 
These are essentially necessary in drawing near 
unto God, as this bo^k most abundantly proves. 
But everything therewith connected was appointed 
by God, and established by His law. !N"othing was 
left to be supplied by man's fertile imagination, or 
his prudential arrangement. "So Aaron and his 
sons did all things which the Lord commanded by 
the hand of Moses." (viii. 36 ; ix. 6, 7.) Without 
the Word of the Lord, neither priest nor people 
could take a single step in the right direction. It 
is so still. There is not a single ray of light lu 
this dark world, but that which is shed from holy 
Scripture. " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, 
and a light unto my path." (Psalm cxix. 105.) 
It is truly happy when the children of God so 
honor His word as to be guided by it in all 
things. We need 7iow^ as much as the Jew did 
then J divine direction and divine guidance for 
acceptable worship. " But the hour cometh, and 
now is, when the true worshippers shall worship 
the Father in spirit and in truth : for the Father 
Beeketh such to worship him." (John iv. 23,24.) 



PREFACE. 7 

More than sincerity or clevontness of feeling is 
required in the children's worship. It must be in 
the unction of the Spirit, and according to the 
truth of God. But we have all, blessed be His 
name, in the Person and work of our blessed Lord 
Jesus! lie is both our sacritice and priest, and 
our right of entrance into the holiest of all. Oh! 
to be kept near to His woimded side, and in the_ 
abiding sense, that lie is the ground, the material, 
and the sweet incense of all our worship. 

Let us now brieliy notice the three points already 
mentioned. 

I. In the first place, we would observe, that 
sacrifice is the basis of worship. Acceptable wor- 
ship to God must be based on a sacritice acce[)table 
to Ilim. Man being in himself guilty and unclean, 
he needs a sacritice to remove his guilt, cleanse 
him from his defilements, and fit liim for the holy 
presence of God. '^ Without sliedding of blood is 
no remission." And without remission, and the 
knowledge of remission, there can be no happy 
worship; no real, hearty praise, adoration, and 
thanksgiving. Going to what is called ''a place of 
worship," and woi^hipping God, are widely differ- 
ent things. God is holy, and man nmst approach 
Him in His own way, and according to what He 
is. As Moses said unto Aaron on the solemn 
occasion of the sin of Nadab and Abihu, ''This is 
it that the Lord spake, saying, / will he savctifipd 
in them that come nigh me, and before all the 



8 PREFACE. 

people I will be glorified." The Lord alone could 
give directions as to how the people were to draw 
nigh unto Him. This is the great subject of the 
Book of Leviticus. The "I^OTES" on the first 
seven, and the sixteenth chapters, will give the 
reader a very full and interesting view of the or- 
dinance of sacrifice, and the character of Jewish 
worship. 

It was on the ground of offered and accepted 
sacrifice that the children of Israel were constituted 
the worshipping people of God. It is on the same 
ground, namely, offered and accepted sacrifice, 
that believers in Jesus are constituted the worship- 
ping people of God now. (Read carefully Lev. 
xvi.; Heb. ix., x.) They have taken Israel's place, 
but after a much higher order, whether we look at 
the sacrifice, the priest, or the place of worship. 
The contrast between them is great, and strongly 
marked in Scripture, especially in the Epistle to 
the Hebrews. The Jewish sacrifices never reached 
the conscience of the offerer, and the Jewish priest 
never could pronounce him " clean every whit." 
The gifts and sacrifices which were offered under 
the law, as the apostle tells us, " could not make 
him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to 
the conscienK3e." The conscience, observe, always 
being the reflection of the sacrifice, it could not be 
perfect, seeing the sacrifice was not perfect. " For 
it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of 
goats should take away sins." Hence, Jewish 



PREFACE. 9 

worship was connected witli inefficient sacrifices, a 
burdensome ritual, and an unpurged conscience, 
which gcHidered in the worshipper a spirit of bond- 
age and fear. 

But now, mark the contrast to all this in the 
once-offered and accepted sacrifice of Christ. He 
" put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." All is 
done. Having " by himself purged our sins, he sat 
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.'' 
When the worshipper comes before God on the 
ground of this sacrifice, he finds that he has 
nothing to do save, as a priest, to show forth the 
praises of Him " who hath called us out of dark- 
ness into his marvellous light." Even Christ has 
nothing more to do as regards our justification and 
acceptance. " For by one offering he hath perfected 
for ever them that are sanctified." The Jew, by 
his sacrifice, was merely ceremonially clean, and 
that only for a moment, as it were ; but the 
Christian, through the sacrifice of Christ, is really 
so, and that for ever. Oh! that sweet word, 
"FOR EVER." It is the common privilege of 
all believers to be perfected as worshippers lefore 
God, "through the offering of the body of Jesus 
Christ once for all." On this deeply-important 
point the testimony of Scripture is most full and 
explicit. For the worshippers once purged should 
have "no more conscience of sins,^' "The blood 
of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 
" And their sins and iniq lities will I remembei no 



10 PREFACE. 

more." (1 John i. 7 ; Heb. x.) By the work of 

Christ for us our sins were all put away. And, 
now, by faith in God's word, we know that they 
are all forgiven and forgotten. Hence, we can 
draw near to God, and stand in His holy presence, 
in the happy assurance that there is neither sin 
nor stain upon us. Our Great High Priest has 
pronounced us "clean every whit." (John xiii.) 
Believing this, the sense of guilt is taken away ; 
we have "NO MORE COXSCIEIs^CE OF SIXS." 
This deeply precious truth, observe, does not 
mean that there is no more consciousness of sins. 
Par from it. Or that we may not get a bad con- 
science through failure — or that we need not be 
exercised " to have a conscience void of otil'ence 
toward God and toward man." Not at all. It 
simply means that Christ, by the one, perfect, 
finished sacrifice of Himself, has for ever pnt awny 
all our sins, root and branch. And having been 
led to know and believe this, how can there be 
sins on the conscience? Christ has pnt them all 
away. The precious blood of our once-oftered and 
accepted sacrifice has cleansed us from every spot 
and stain of sin. There may be the deepest sen^e 
of indwelling sin, and of many sins and short- 
comings in our every-day life, and the painful 
confession of them all to God. Still, there is the 
mil assurance that Christ died for our sins, put 
them all away, and that not one of them can ever 
be laid to our charge. This is indeed o^ oaoat 



PREFACE. 11 

iTonderful truth; but it is the great, the needed 
truth for a worshipper. How could we sjand in 
God's presence, where nil is perfection, if we were 
not as clean as He would have us to be? We 
must be clean enough for the ej^e of Infinite Holi- 
ness. ]Jut, blessed be God, all who Delieve in 
Jesus, and rest on His finished saci-ifice, are for- 
given and justified. They have eternal life, right- 
eousness, aud peace. The first cry for mercy of 
the guilty sinner is answered by the blood of the 
sacrifice. It jDcnetrates to the deei3est depths of 
his need — it raises him to the hi<;hest hei2:hts of 
heaven, and fits him to be there, a happ}' wor- 
shipper, in the immediate presence of the throne 
of God. "- For Christ also hath once sutiered for 
sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring 
us to God." "For if the blood of bulls and of 
goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the 
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, 
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, 
through the eternal Spirit, ofiered himself without 
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead 
works to serve the living God !'' 1 Peter iii. 18 ; 
Heb. ix. 13, 14. 

XL In the second place, we have, in the rich 
provisions of God's grace, the Lord Jesus Christ 
as our Great High Priest in the presence of God 
for us. He ministers there for us. " We have 
BU(^h an high priest, who is set on the right hand 
of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens 



12 PREFACB. 

A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true 
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man/ 
(Heb, viii. 1, 2.) His work of sacrifice having 
been fully completed. He sat down. Aaron is 
represented as being always in a standing position. 
His work was never finished. He stood "daily 
ministering, and offering oftentimes the same 
sacrifices which can never take away sin. But 
this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for 
sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God.'' 
Immediately after the law of the Lord had been 
given as to sacrifice, the priesthood was established. 
(See " XOTES " on chapters viii., ix.) The saints 
have both in Christ. He is our sacrifice and our 
priest. He appeared once on the cross /or us. He 
now appears in heaven for us. Ere long He will 
appear in glory with us. To know what He ac- 
complished on the cross, and what He is now 
doing in the sanctuary above, will nourish in our 
hearts the hope of His coming, and lead us to long 
for His appearing in glory. 

In the New Testament we only read of two 
orders of Priests — namely, Christ as the Great 
High Priest in heaven, and the common priesthood 
of all believers on the earth. " Ye also, as lively 
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy 
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, accept- 
able to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter ii, 5. 
And, again, "Unto him that loved us, and washed 
us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made 



PREFACE. 18 

askings and priests unto Ood and his Father/' 
(Rev. i. 5, 6.) These passages clearly prove the 
common standing of all believers as priests unto 
God. There is no mention in the New Testament 
of any peculiar class, or order of Christians who 
hold the office of priests, as distinct from other 
Christians. Christ is the Grreat High Priest over 
the house of God, and all His people are, in virtue 
of their connection with Him, priests and privi- 
leged to enter, as once-purged worshippers, into 
the holiest of all. Even the apostles never took 
the place of priests, as distinct from, or superior 
to, the humblest child of God. They might know 
their privileges better than many, and enjoy them 
more. Their gifts and callings as to the ministry 
Df the word, were distinct and special, but as 
worshippers they stood on the same ground as all 
others, and, together with them, worshipped God 
through Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest of all 
His people. 

In the priestly ministry of our blessed Lord 
there are many points of special interest ; we only 
notice the two following : 

1. As our Great High Priest, He represents us 
in the sanctuary above. And, oh ! what a Repre- 
sentative ! God's beloved Son, the glorified Man, 
whose name is above every name. " For Christ is 
not entered into the holy place made with hands, 
which are the figures of the true, but into heaven 
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for 



14 PRBPACB. 

U5." (Heb. ix. 24.) Oh ! what dignity! what near- 
ness to God is ours ! Oh ! that our hearts appre- 
ciated it more ! When Aaron appeared before the 
Lord in his garments of glory and beauty, he 
represented the children of Israel. Their names 
were engraven in precious stones in the beautiful 
l)reastplate. Blessed type of our real and ever* 
lasting place in the heart of Christ, who appears, 
not annually^ like Aaron of old, but continually^ in 
the presence of God for us. The name of each 
believer is kept continually before the eye of God, 
in all the glory and beauty of Christ, His well-be- 
loved Son. We stand in His righteousness, possess 
His life, enjoy His peace, are filled with His joy, 
and radiate His glory. Although without right, 
title, or privilege in ourselves, we have all in Him. 
He is there for us and as us. His name be for ever 
praised. 

** He stands in heaven their great High Priest, 
And bears their names upon His breast." 

It is by His continual intercession in heaven that 
saints on earth are succored and sustained in their 
wilderness journey, and, at the same time, uj^held 
as worshippers within the veil, in all the sweet 
fr:i trance of His own divine excellencies. And 
neither their ignorance, nor their lack of enjoy- 
ment of these things, alters or aflfects their 
blessed, glorious, and eternal reality. "Seeing 
He ever liveth to make intercession for them.** 
Heb. viL 25. 



PREFACE. 16 

2. As our Great High Priest, He presents to God 
the gifts and sacrifices of His worshipping people. 
Under the law, the worshipper brought his ofiering 
to the priest, and by him it was presented to the 
Lord, on His own altar. Eveiything was arranged 
by the priest, according to the word of the Lord. 
How perfectly all this is done for the worshipper 
now by His High Priest in Heaven ! Our prayers, 
praises, and thanksgiving, all pass through His 
hands before they reach the throne of God. What 
a wonderful mercy this is, when we think of our 
confused and mixed services ! So much that is of 
the flesh mingles with that which is of the Spirit. 
But the blessed Lord knows how to divide and 
separate between them. That which is of the flesh 
must be rejected, and consumed as wood, hay, and 
stubble, while that w^hich is of the Spirit is precious, 
preserved, and presented to God in the value and 
sweet savor of His own perfect sacrifice. " By 
Him therefore let us oflfer the sacrifice of praise to 
God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, 
giving thanks unto His name." (Heb. xiii. 15.) 
The kindness of the Philippians to Paul was " an 
odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well 
pleasing to God." Hence the importance of the 
exhoi'tation, '^ Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, 
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving 
thanks to God and the Father by him." CoL iil 
17. 

ni. In the third place, we observe, that the 



16 PREFACE. 

Christianas only place of worship is inside the veUy 
'' whither the forerunnei is for us entered." Out- 
side the camp is his place as a witness ; inside the 
veil is his place as a worshipper. In both positions 
Christ is surely with him. " Let us go forth there- 
fore unto him without the camp, bearing his re- 
proach." " Having therefore, brethren, boldness to 
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." (Heb. 
xiii.; X. 19.) To know these two positions in com- 
munion with Christ Himself, through the teach- 
mg of the Spirit, is unspeakable blessedness. The 
Church has no divinely-consecrated place of wor- 
ship on earth. Our place is in heaven, in virtue 
of the sacrifice and of the priestly ministry ot 
Christ there for us. Whatever may be the char- 
acter of the building in which Christians are gath- 
ered together in the name of the Lord Jesus, their 
true and only sphere of worship is the heavenly 
sanctuary. Through faith in God's word, and by 
the power of His Holy Spirit, they worship Him 
in " the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, 
and not man." 

Israel had "a worldly sanctuary," and, accord- 
ingly, the character of their worship was worldly, 
" the way into the holiest of all was not yet made 
manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet stand- 
ing." But the way has been opened up by the 
blood of Jesus. The same stroke that slew the 
Lamb rent the veil from top to bottom. The way 
into the holiest of all was then laid open, and 



PREFACE. 17 

Christ, with all Ilis blood-washed ones, entered 
into the immediate presence of God, without a veil. ' 
There is no outer court-worship now for the people, 
and femp^e-worship for the priest, as under the law. 
These distinctions are unknown in the Church of 
the living God. It is all priestly worship and tem- 
ple worship now. All are equally near — all have 
equal liberty — all are equally acceptable, through 
the presence and intervention of the Great High 
Priest of His people. The same precious blood 
that cleansed us from all sin, has brought us near 
to God as children, and as worshipping priests. 
And if we really know the wondrous efficacy and 
power of that blood in the heavenly places, we 
shall be at home and happy there in all the liberty 
and dignity of sonship, and in all the official near- 
ness and standing of once-purged worshippers, in 
the most holy place. 

Oh ! that our hearts may be kept in the sweet 
remembrance, knowledge, and power of the rich 
provisions of God's grace for all our need ! Oh ! 
that we may never lose sight of the blood on the 
mercy-seat, the minister of the sanctuary, and of 
our holy, heavenly, and eternal place of worship. 

We must now leave the dear reader, earnestly 
commending to his most prayerful and diligent 
study this precious Book of Leviticus. The light 
which it sheds on the Person and work of Christ — 
the ground and character of our communion with 
God, is deeply blessed to the heart that desires to 



18 PREFACE. 

live in the enjoyment of these eternal realitiefeb 
He will find the "NOTES" most helpful in un 
folding the text, and in giving an interesting and 
practical view to many of the ceremonies which 
we are prone to pass over as uninteresting and 
uninstructive to us. See, for example, the eleventh 
chapter. 

And now, may the Lord graciously own, use, 
and bless, this little volume, for the glory of Ilia 
own name, and for the comfort and blessing of 
many precious souls. 

A. M. 

London^ May^ 1860. 



PEEPACE TO THE SECOND EDITIOK 



The rapid sale of a large edition of this volume 
evidences an amount of interest in the study of the 
Book of Leviticus, for which I unfeignedly bless 
the Lord. Too many, even of the people of God, 
seem to think that this section of inspiration con- 
tains nothing of any interest or value to them. 
They regard it as a detail of rites and ceremonies 
with which they have nothing to do — a record of 
by-gone institutions, aflbrding no instruction or 
edification for them. That this is a great mistake, 
thousands are now discovering. Very muny who, 
for years, looked upon the Book of Leviticus as 
little more than a dry catalogue of Jewish ordi- 
nances, are now discovering in it an exhaustless 
mine of spiritual wealth for which they cannot be 
too thankful. They have brought its marvellous 
pages under the light of the New Testament scrip- 
tures, and they can only wonder at that Avhich is 
now unfolded to their gaze. That they may dis- 
cover yet more of the precious treasure, is my 
earnest desire on their behalf. 

I have carefully revised the following pages, 
and, I may say, I have left them very muc \i as I 
found them. An expression, here and there, whi^jh 



20 PREFACE. 

Beemed likely to be misunderstood, I have slightly 
touched. I have also added a brief note or two. 
These trifling matters excepted, the Second Edition 
is a reprint of the First, and, as such, it is again 
committed to the care of Him from whom all 
blessings flow. May He be graciously pleased to 
crown it, still further, with the stamp of His ap- 
proval. His seal and sanction are all that any 
book requires to make it useful ; and, truly, we 
may say, the book that has not these has nothing. 
The Lord grant a more abundant blessing, and 
His name shall have all the praise. 

C.H.M. 

47 Mount) oy St.^ Dublin. 
August^ 1861. 



NOTES 



^ ON 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. 



CHAPTER I, 



Ere entering upon the details of the chapter before 
as, there are two things which demand our careful con 
sideration; namely, first, Jehovah's position; and, sec- 
ondly, the order in which the offerings are presented. 

"And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto 
him out of the tabernacle of the congregation." Such 
was the position from which Jehovah made the com- 
munications contained in this book. He had been 
speaking from Mount Sinai, and his position, there, 
gave marked character to the communication. From 
the fiery mount ''went a fiery law;" but here, He 
speaks ''out of the tabernacle of the congregation." 
This was an entirely different position. We have 
seen this tabernacle set up, at the close of the preceding 
book. "And he reared up the court round about the 
tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the 
court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then a eloucl 

(21) 



22 LEVITICUS. 

covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of 

the Lord filled the tabernacle For the glory of 

the Lord was upon the tabernacle, by day, and fire was 
on it, by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, 
throughout all their journeys.'' (Exod. xl. 33 — 38.) 

Now, the tabernacle was God's dwelling place, in 
grace. He could take up His abode there, because He 
was surrounded, on all sides, by that which vividly set 
forth the ground of His relationship with the people. 
Had He come into their midst, in the full display of 
the character revealed upon Mount Sinai, it could only 
have been to " consume them in a moment," as '^ a stiff- 
necked people." But He retired within the vail — type 
of Christ's flesh, (Heb. x. 20) — and took His place on 
the mercy seat, where the blood of atonement, and not 
the ''stiff-neckedness" of Israel, was that which met 
His view, and satisfied the claims of His nature. The 
blood which was brought into the sanctuary, by the 
high pries^, was the type of that precious blood which 
cleanses from all sin; and, although Israel, after the 
flesh, saw nothing of this, it, nevertheless, justified 
God in abiding amongst them — it '^sanctified to the 
purifying of the flesh." (Heb. ix. 13.) 

Thus much as to Jehovah's position in this Book, 
which must be taken into account, in order to a proper 
understanding of the communications made therein. In 
them we shall find inflexible holiness united with the 
purest grace. God is holy, no matter from whence He 
speaks. He was holy on Mount Sinai, and holy above 
the mercy-seat; but, in the former case. His holiness 
stood connected with ''a devouring fire;" in the 
latter, it was connected with patient grace. Now, the 



CHAPTER I. 23 

ronnexion of perfect holiness with perfect grace is that 
which characterizes the redemption which is in Christ 
Jesus, which redemption is, in various ways, shadowed 
forth in the Book of Leviticus. God must be holy, 
even though it should be in the eternal condemnation 
of impenitent sinners; but the full display of His 
holiness, in the salvation of sinners, calls forth heaven's 
loudest and loftiest note of praise. *^ Glory to God 
in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward 
men." (Luke ii. 14.) This doxology could not have 
been sung in connexion with ''the fiery law." No 
doubt there was "glory to God in the highest," but 
there was no " peace on earth " nor "good pleasure in 
men," inasmuch as it was the declaration of what men 
ought to be, ere God could take pleasure in them. But 
when "the Son" took His place, as a man, on the earth, 
the mind of Heaven could express its entire delight in 
Him as the One whose Person and work could combine, 
in the most perfect manner, divine glory with human 
blessedness. 

And, now, one word, as to the order of the offerings, 
in the opening chapters of the Book of Leviticus. The 
Lord begins with the burnt offering, and ends with the 
trespass offering. That is to say, He leaves off where 
we begin. This order is marked and most instructive. 
When, first, the arrow of conviction enters the soul, 
there are deep searchings of conscience, in reference to 
sins actually committed. Memory casts back its en- 
lightened eye over the page of one's past life, and sees 
it stained with numberless trespasses against God and 
man. At this point of the souPs history, it is not so 
much occupied with the question of the root from 



24 LEVITICUS. 

whence those trespasses have sprung, as with the stern 
and palpable fact that such and such things have actually 
been committed ; and, hence, it needs to know that God 
has provided a sacrifice through which ^^ all t:^espasses '' 
can be ''frankly forgiven.'^ This is presented to us in 
the trespass offering. 

But, as one advances, in the divine life, he becomes 
conscious that those sins which he has committed are 
but branches from a root, streams from a fountain ; and, 
moreover, that sin in his nature is that fountain— that 
root. This leads to far deeper exercise, which can only 
be met by a deeper insight into the work of the cross. 
In a word, the cross will need to be apprehended a^i that 
in which God Himself has *' condemned sin in the 
Jlesh.^^ (Rom. viii. 3.) My reader will observe, it does 
not say, ^' sins in the /^/e," but the root from whence 
these have sprung, namely, ''sin in the fiesh^ This is 
a truth of immense importance. Christ not merely ''died 
for our sins, according to the Scriptures," but He was 
'made sin for us." (2 Cor. v. 21.) This is the doctrine 
of the sin offering. 

Now, it is when the heart and conscience arc set at 
rest, through the knowledge of Christ's work, that we 
can feed upon Himself as the ground of our peace and 
joy, in the presence of God. There can be no such 
thing known as peace or joy, until we see all ou^ tres- 
passes forgiven and our sin judged. The trespass offer- 
ing and the sin offering must be known, ere the peace 
offering, joy offering, or thanksgiving offering can be 
appreciated. Hence, therefore, the order in which the 
peace offering stands, corresponds with the order of ouJ 
Bpiritual apprehension of Christ. 



OHAPTEB I. 25 

The same perfect order is observable in reference to 
the meat ofTering. When the soul is led to taste the 
sweetness of spiritual communion with Christ — to feed 
upon Him in peace and thankfulness, in the divine pres- 
ence, it is drawn out in earnest desire to know more of 
the wondrous mysteries of His Person ; and this desire 
is most blessedly met in the meat offering, which is the 
type of Christ's perfect manhood. 

Then, in the burnt offering, we are conducted to a 
point beyond which it is impossible to go, and that is, the 
work of the cross, as accomplished under the immediate 
eye of God, and as the expression of the unswerving 
devotion of the heart of Christ. All these things will 
come before us, in beauteous detail, as we pass along ; we 
are here only looking at the order of the offerings, whick 
is truly marvellous, whichever way we travel, whether 
outward from God to us, or inward from us to God. In 
either case, we begin with the cross and end with the 
cross. If we begin with the burnt offering, we see 
Christ, on the cross, doing the will of God — making 
atonement, according to the measure of His perfect sur- 
render of Himself to God. If we begin with the trespass 
offering, we see Christ, on the cross, bearing our sins, 
and putting them away, according to the perfection of 
His atoning sacrifice ; while, in each and all, we behold 
the excellency, the beauty, and the perfection of His 
divine and adorable Person. Surely, all this is sufficient 
to awaken in our hearts the deepest interest in the study 
of those precious types which we shall now proceed to 
consider in aetail. And may God the Holy Ghost, who 
penned the Book of Leviticus, expound its contents in 
living power to our hearts: that so. when we have 



26 LEVITICUS. 

reached the close, we may have abnndant cause to bless 
His name for many thrilling and soul-stirring views of 
the Person and work of our blessed Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, now, henceforth^ and 
for evermore. Amen, 



In the burnt offering, with which our book opens, we 
have a type of Christ " offering himself without spot to 
God." Hence the position which the Holy Ghost assigns 
to it. If the Lord Jesus Christ came forth to accom- 
plish the glorious work of atonement, His highest and 
most fondly-cherished object, in so doing, was the glory 
of God. '' Lo, I come, to do thy will, God,'' was 
the grand motto in every scene and circumstance of His 
life, and in none more markedly than in the work of the 
cross. Let the will of God be what it might. He came 
to do it. Blessed be God, we know what our portion is 
in the accomplishment of this ''will;" for by it " we are 
sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus 
Christ once." (Heb. x. 10.) Still, the primary aspect 
of Christ's work was to God-ward. It was an ineffable 
delight to Him to accomplish the will of God on this 
earth. Xo one had ever done this before. Some had, 
through grace, done '' tnat which was right in the sight 
of the Lord : " but no one had ever, perfectly, invariably, 
from first to last, without hesitation, and without diver- 
gence, done the will of God But this was, exactly, 
n^hat the Lord Jesus did He ^as ''obedient unto 



CHAPTER I. 21 

death, eveu the death of the cross. '^ (PhiL ii. 8.) " He 
Bteadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." And as He 
walked from the garden of Gethsemane to the cross of 
Calvary, the intense devotion of His heart told itself 
forth in these accents: ''The cup which my Father 
hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " 

Now, in all this self-emptied devotedness to God, 
there was truly a sweet savor. A perfect Man on the 
earth accomplishing the will of God, even in death, was 
an object of amazing interest to the mind of Heaven. 
Who could fathom the profound depths of that devoted 
heart, which displayed itself, under the eye of God, on 
the cross? Surely, none but God; for in this, as in 
everything else, it holds good that ''no man knoweth 
Ihe Son, but the Father ; " and no one can know aught 
about Him, save as the Father reveals Him. The mind 
of man can, in some measure, grasp any subject of 
knowledge '' under the sun." Human science can be 
laid hold of by the human intellect ; but no man knoweth 
the Son, save as the Father reveals Him, by the power 
of the Holy Ghost, through the written word. The 
Holy Ghost delights to reveal the Son — to take of the 
things of Jesus, and show them unto us. These things 
we have, in all their fulness and beauty, in the word. 
There can be no new revelation, inasmuch as the Spirit 
brought ''all things" to the apostles' memory, and led 
them into '' all truth." There c^n be nothing beyond 
''all truth;" and, hence, all pretension to a new revela- 
tion, and the development of new truth, — meaning 
thereby truth not contained in the sacred canon of in- 
Bpiration — is an effort, on man's part, to add to what 
God calls "all truth." No doubt, the Spirit may unfold 



88 LEVITICUS. 

and apply, with new and extraordinary power, truth 
contained in the word ; but this is, obviously, a very dif- 
ferent thing from our travelling outside the range of 
divine revelation, for the purpose of finding principles, 
ideas, or dogmas, which shall command the conscience. 
This latter can only be regarded in the light of impious 
presumption. 

In the gospel narrative, we have Christ presented to 
us in the varied phases of His character, His Person, 
and His work. To those precious documents the people 
of God in all ages have rejoiced to betake themselves, 
and drink in their heavenly revelations of the object of 
their love and confidence — the One to whom they owed 
everything, for time and eternity. But very few, com- 
paratively, have ever been led to regard the rites and 
ceremonies of the Levitical economy as fraught with the 
most minute instruction in reference to the same com- 
manding theme. The offerings of Leviticus, for exam- 
ple, have been too much regarded as so many antiquated 
records of Jewish customs, conveying no intelligible 
voice to our ears — no spiritual light to our understand- 
ings. However, it must be admitted that the apparently 
abstruse records of Leviticus, as well as the sublime 
strains of Isaiah, take their place amongst the 'things 
which were written aforetime," and they are, therefore, 
"for our learning.-' True, we shall need to study those 
records, as indeed all Scripture, with an humble, self- 
emptied spirit; with reverent dependence upon the 
teaching of Him who graciously penned them for us; 
with sedulous attention to the general scope, bearing, 
and analogy of the entire body of divine revelation ; with 
an efiectual curb on the imagination, that it may not 



OHAPTEB I. 29 

take unhallowed flights ; but if thus, through grace, we 
enter upon the study of the types of Leviticus, we shall 
5nd in them a vein of the richest and finest ore. 

We shall now proceed to examine the burnt offering, 
which, as we have remarked, presents Christ, offering 
Hinxself, without spot, to God. 

" If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let 
him offer a male, without blemish." The essential 
glory and dignity of Christ's Person form the basis of 
Christianity. He imparts that dignity and glory to 
every thing He does, and to every office He sustains. 
No office could possibly add glory to Him who is '' God 
over all, blessed for ever " — '' God manifest in the flesh '^ — 
the glorious ''Immanuel " — " God with us " — the eternal 
Word — the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. What 
office could add to the dignity of such an One ? In point 
of fact, we know that all His offices are connected with 
His humanity ; and in assuming that humanity, He 
stooped from the glory which He had with the Father, 
before the world was. He thus stooped, in order to 
glorify God perfectly, in the very midst of a scene where 
all was hostile to Him. He came to be '' eaten up " by 
a holy, unquenchable zeal for the glory of God, and the 
effectual carrying out of His eternal counsels. 
/ The unblemished male, of the first year, was a type of 
j the Lord Jesus Christ offering Himself for the perfect 
/ accomplishment of the will of God. There should be 
nothing expressive either of weakness or imperfection. 
" A male of the first year " was required. We shall see, 
when we come to examine the other offerings, that " a 
female -' was, in some cases, permitted ; but that was 
only expressive of the imperfection which attached to the 



30 LEVITICUS. 

worshipper's apprehension, and in nowise of any defect 
in the offering, inasmuch as it was '' unblemished " in the 
one case, as well as in the other. Here, however, it was 
an offering of the very highest order, because it was 
Christ offering Himself to God. Christ, in the burnt 
offering, was exclusively for the eye and heart of God. 
This point should be distinctly apprehended. God alone 
could duly estimate the Person and work of Christ. He 
aJone could fully appreciate the cross as the expression 
of Christ's perfect devotedness. The cross, as fore- 
shadowed by the burnt offering, had an element in it 
which only the divine mind could apprehend. It had 
depths so profound that neither mortal nor angel could 
fathom them. There was a voice in it which was in- 
tended exclusively for, and went directly to, the ear of 
the Father. There were communications between the 
cross of Calvary and the throne of God, which lay far 
beyond the highest range of created intelligence. 

" He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door 
of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.*' 
The use of the word ^' voluntary, "^^ here, brings out, with 
great clearness, the grand idea in the burnt offering. It 
leads us to contemplate the cross in an aspect which is 
not suflSciently apprehended. We are too apt to look 
upon the cross merely as the place where the great ques- 
tion of sin was gone into and settled, between eternal 
Justice and the spotless victim — as the place where our 
guilt was atoned for, and where Satan was gloriously 
vanquished. Eternal and universal praise to redeeming 
love I The cross was all this. But it was more than 
this. It was the place where Christ's love to the Father 
was toM out in language which only the Father couW 



CHAPTER I. 31 

hear and understand. It is in the latter aspect that we 
have it typified, in the burnt offering ; and, therefore, it 
is that the word " voluntary " occurs. Were it merely a 
question of the imputation of sin, and of enduring the 
wrath of God on account of sin, such an expression 
would not be in moral order. The blessed Lord Jesus 
could not, with strict propriety, be represented as willing 
to be " made sin " — willing to endure the wrath of God, 
and the hiding of His countenance ; and, in this one fact, 
we learn, in the clearest manner, that the burnt offering 
does not foreshadow Christ ^ on the cross, bearing sin, but 
Christ on the cross, accomplishing the will of God. That 
Christ Himself contemplated the cross in these two 
aspects of it, is evident from His own words. When he 
looked at the cross as the place of sin-bearing — when He 
anticipated the horrors with which, in this point of view, 
it stood invested, He exclaimed, "Father, if thou be 
willing, remove this cup from me." (Luke xxiii. 42.) 
He shrank from that which His work, as a sin-bearer, in- 
volved. His pure and holy mind shrank from the 
thought of contact with sin ; and His loving heart shrank 
from the thought of losing, for a moment, the light of 
God's countenance. 

But, then, the cross had another aspect. It stood be- 
fore the eye of Christ as a scene, in which He could fully 
tell out all the deep secrets of His love to the Father — a 
place in which He could, " of his own voluntary will,' 
take the cup which the Father had given Him, and drain 
it to the very dregs. True it is that the whole life of 
Christ emitted a fragrant odor, which ever ascended to 
the Father's throne — He did always those things which 
pleased the Father — He ever did the will of God ; but 



32 LEVITICUS. 

the buTDt offering does not typify Him in His life — ^pre 
cious, beyond all thought, as was every act of that life — 
but in His death, and in that, not as one '' made a curse 
for us," but as one presenting to the heart of the Father 
an odor of incomparable fragrance. 

This truth invests the cross with peculiar charms for 
the spiritual mind. It imparts to the sufferings of our 
blessed Lord an interest of the most intense character. 
The guilty sinner, no doubt, finds in the cross a divine 
answer to the deepest and most earnest cravings of heart 
and conscience. The true believer finds in the cross that 
which captivates every affection of his heart, and trans- 
fixes his whole moral being. The angels find in the cross 
a theme for ceaseless admiration. All this is true ; but 
there is that, in the cross, which passes far beyond the 
loftiest conceptions of saints or angels ; namely, the deep- 
toned devotion of the heart of the Son presented to, and 
appreciated by, the heart of the Father. This is the 
elevated aspect of the cross, which is so strikingly 
shadowed forth in the burnt offering. 

And, here, let me remark that the distinctive beauty 
of the burnt offering must be entirely sacrificed, if we 
admH the idea that Christ was a sin-bearer all His life. 
There would then be no force, no value, no meaning Id 
the word '' voluntary." There could be no room for 
voluntary action in the case of one who was compelled, 
by the very necessity of his position, to yield up his life. 
If Christ were a sin-bearer, in His life, then, assuredly. 
His death must have been a necessary, not a voluntary, 
act. Indeed, it may be safely asserted that there is not 
one of the offerings the beauty of which would not be 
marred, and its strict integrity sacrificed, by the theory 



CHAPTER I, 33 

of a life of sin-bearing. In the buijut offering, this is 
especially the case, inasmuch as it is not, in it, a question 
of sin-bearing, or enduring the wrath of God, but entirely 
one of voluntary devotedness, manifested in the death of 
the cros-j. In the burnt offering we recognize a type of 
God the Son, accomplishing, by God the Spirit, the will 
of God the Father. This He did '' of His own voluntary 
will." '' Therefore doth my Father love me, because I 
lay down my life, that I might take it again." (John x. 
17.) Here we have the burnt offering aspect of the 
death of Christ. On the other hand, the prophet, con- 
templating Him as the sin offering, says, " his life is taken 
from the earth." (Acts viii. 33, which is the LXX. ver- 
sion of Isaiah liii. 8.) Again, Christ says, *^No one {ov 
6ft j) taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself" 
Was He a sin-bearer when He said this ? Observe, it 
is ''no one," man, angel, devil, or else. It was His own 
voluntary act, to lay down His life that He might take 
it again. ''I delight to do thy will, O my God." Such 
was the language of the divine burnt offering — of Him 
who found His unutterable joy in offering Himself with- 
out spot to God. 

Now, it is of the last importance to apprehend, with 
distinctness, the primary object of the heart of Christ, 
in the work of redemption. It tends to consolidate the 
believer's peace. The accomplishment of God's will, 
the establishment of God's counsels, and the display of 
God's glory, occupied the fullest, deepest, and largest 
place in that devoted heart which viewed and estimated 
everything in reference to God. The Lord Jesus never 
once stopped to inquire how any act or circumstance 
would affect Himself. ''He humbled himself" — '-He 
o 



34 LEVITICUS. 

made himself of no reputation" — He surrendored all. 
And, hence, when He arrived at the close of His career, 
He could look back upon it all, and say, with His eyes 
lifted up to heaven, ^' 1 have glorified thee on the earth; 
I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." 
(John xvii. 4.) It is impossible to contemplate the work 
of Christ, in this aspect of it, without having the heart 
filled with the sweetest affections toward His Person. 
It does not detract, in the smallest degree, from our sense 
of His love to us, to know that He made God His 
primary object, in the work of the cross. Quite the 
opposite. His love to us, and our salvation in Him, 
could only be founded upon God's established glory. 
That glory must form the solid base of everything. "As 
truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory 
of the Lord." (Numb. xiv. 21.) But we know that 
God's eternal glory, and the creature's eternal blessed- 
ness, are, in the divine counsels, inseparably linked to- 
gether, so that, if the former be secured, the latter must 
needs be so likewise. 

''And he shall put his hand upon the head of the 
burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him, to 
make atonement for him." The act of laying on of 
hands was expressive of full identification. By that 
significant act, the ofierer and the offering became one ; 
and this oneness, in the case of the burnt offering, se- 
cured for the offerer all the acceptableness of his offering. 
The application of this to Christ and the believer sets 
forth a truth of the most precious nature, and one 
largely developed in the New Testament; namely, the 
believer's everlasting identification with, and acceptance 
in, Christ. * is he is, so are we, in this world." " We 



CHAPTER I. 35 

are in him that is true." (1 John iv. 17 ; v. 20.) No- 
thing, in any measure, short of this could avail. The 
man w ho is not in Christ is in his sins. There is no 
middle ground. You must be either in Christ or out of 
Him. There is no such thing as being partly in Christ. 
If there is a single hair's-breadth between you and 
Christ, you are in an actual state of wrath and condem- 
nation. But, on the other hand, if you are in Him, 
then are you " as he is " before God, and so accounted 
in the presence of infinite holiness. Such is the plain 
teaching of the Word of God. *'Ye are complete in 
him " — '' accepted in the beloved " — '' members of his 
body, of his flesh, and of his bones." ''He that is 
joined to the Lord, is one Spirit." (1 Cor. vi. It ; Eph. 
i. 6; V. 30; Col. ii. 10.) Now, it is not possible that 
the Head can be in one degree of acceptance and the 
members in another. No ; the Head and the members 
are one. God counts them one ; and, therefore, they are 
one. This truth is, at once, the ground of the loftiest 
confidence, and of the most profound humility. It im- 
parts the fullest assurance of '' boldness in the day of 
judgment," inasmuch as it is not possible that aught 
can be laid to the charge of Him with w^hom we are 
united. It imparts the deep sense of our own nothing- 
ness, inasmuch as our union with Christ is founded upon 
the death of nature and the utter abolition of all its 
claims and pretensions. 

Since, therefore, the Head and the members are viewed 
in the same position of infinite favor and acceptance, 
before God, it is perfectly evident that all the members 
stand in one acceptance, in one salvation, in one life, in 
one righteousness. There are no degrees in justilica 



•« 



36 LEVITICUS. 

tion. The babe in Christ stands in the same justifieatioB 
as the saint of fifty years' experience. The one is in 
Christ, and so is the other ; and this, as it is the only 
ground of life, so it is the only ground of justification. 
There are not two kinds of life, neither are there two 
kinds of justification. No doubt, there are various 
measures of enjoyment of this justification — various de- 
grees in the knowledge of its fulness and extent — 
various degrees in the ability to exhibit its power upon 
the heart and life ; and these things are frequently con- 
founded with the justification itself, which, as being 
divine, is, necessarily, eternal, absolute, unvarying, en- 
tirely unaffected by the fluctuation of human feeling 
and experience. 

But, further, there is no such thing as progress in 
justification. The believer is not more justified to-day 
than he was yesterday ; nor will he be more justified to- 
morrow than he is to-day ; yea, a soul who is '' in Christ 
Jesus " is as completely justified as if he were before 
the throne. He is "complete in Christ." He is *' as " 
Christ. He is, on Christ's own authority, ''clean every 
whit." (John xiii. 10.) What more could he be, at this 
side of the glory ? He may, and — if he walks in the 
Spirit — will, make progress in the sense and enjoyment 
of this glorious reality ; but, as to the thing itself, the 
moment he, by the power of the Holy Ghost, believed 
the gospel, he passed from a positive state of unrighteous- 
aess and condemnation into a positive state of righteous- 
ness and acceptance. All this is based upon the divine 
perfectness of Christ's work ; just as, in the case of the 
burnt offering, the worshipper's acceptance was based 
apon the aceeptableness of his offering. It was not a 



CHAPTER I. 31 

question of what hft was, but simply of what the sacri- 
fice was. ''It shall be accepted for him^ to make atone- 
ment for him." 

'' And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord : and 
the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and 
sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by 
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." It is 
most needful, in studying the doctrine of the burnt offer- 
ing, to bear in mind that the grand point set forth therein 
is not the meeting of the sinner's need, but the presenta- 
tion to God of that which was infinitely acceptable to 
Him. Christ, as foreshadowed by the burnt offering, is 
not for the sinner's conscience, but for the heart of God. 
Further, the cross, in the burnt offering, is not the exhi- 
bition of the exceeding hatefulness of sin, but of Christ's 
unshaken and unshakable devotedness to the Father. 
Neither is it the scene of God's out-poured wrath on 
Christ the sin-bearer ; but of the Father's unmingled 
complacency in Christ, the voluntary and most fra- 
grant sacrifice. Finally, '' atonement," as seen in the 
burnt offering, is not merely commensurate with the 
claims of man's conscience, but with the intense desire 
of the heart of Christ, to carry out the will and establish 
the counsels of God — a desire which stopped not short 
of surrendering up His spotless, precious life, as '' a vol- 
untary offering" of '' sweet savor" to God. 

Prom the carrying out of this desire, no power of 
earth or hell, men or devils could shake Him, when 
Peter ignorantly sought to dissuade Him, by words of 
false tenderness, from encountering the shame and degra- 
dation of the cross — ''Pity thyself. Lord! this shall not 
be uuto thee" — what was the reply ? " Get thee behind 
4 



88 LEVITICUS. 

me, Satan ; thou art an offence unto me ; for thou savor 

est not of the things that be of God, but those that be of 
man.'' (Matt. xvi. 22, 23.) So, also, on another occa- 
sion. He says to His disciples, '' Hereafter, I will not 
talk much with you, for the prince of this world eometh, 
and hath nothing in me : but that the world may know 
that I love the Father, and as the Father hath given me 
commandment, even so I do." (John xiv. 30.) These 
and numerous other kindred scriptures, bring out the 
burnt offering phase of Christ's work, in which, it is evi- 
dent, the primary thought is His " offering himself with- 
out spot to God." 

In full keeping with all that has been stated, in refer- 
ence to the special point in the burnt offering, is the 
place which Aaron's sons get, and the functions assigned 
them therein. They ''sprinkle the blood" — they ''put 
the fire upon the altar" — they "lay the wood in order 
upon the fire " — they " lay the parts, the head and the 
fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is 
upon the altar." These are very prominent actions, and 
they form a marked feature of the burnt offering, as con- 
trasted with the sin offering, in which Aaron's sons are 
not mentioned at all. " The sons of Aaron" represent 
the church, not as *' one body," but as a priestly house- 
This is easily apprehended. If Aaron was a type of 
Christ, then Aaron's house was a type of Christ's house, 
as we read, in Heb. iii. "But Christ as a Son over his 
own house, whose house are we." And, again, " Behold 
r and the children whom God hath given me." Now, it 
IS the privilege of the Church, as led and taught by the 
Holy Ghost, to gaze upon, and delight in, that aspect of 
Christ, which is presented in this opening type of Levit- 



CHAPTER I. 89 

icus. ''Our fellowship is with the Father," who gra- 
ciously calls us to participate, with Him. in His thoughts 
about Christ. True, we can never rise to the height of 
those thoughts; but we can have fellowship therein, by 
the Holy Ghost who dwells in us. It is not nere a 
question of having the conscience tranquillized, by the 
blood of Christ, as the sin-bearer, but of communion with 
God in the matter of Christ's perfect surrender of Him- 
self, on the cross. 

'' The priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, 
and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is 
by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." 
Here, we have a type of the Church, bringing the 
memorial of an accomplished sacrifice, and presenting it 
in the place of individual approach to God. But, we 
must remember, it is the blood of the burnt offering, and 
not of the sin offering. It is the Church, in the power of 
the Holy Ghost, entering into the stupendous thought of 
Christ's accomplished devotedness to God, and not a 
convicted sinner, entering into the value of the blood of 
the sin-bearer. I need hardly say that the Church is 
composed of sinners, and convicted sinners, too ; but 
''Aaron's sons" do not represent convicted sinners, but 
worshipping saints. It is as ''priests'''' they have to do 
with the burnt offering, Many err as to this. They 
imagine that, because one takes the place of a worshipper 
— being invited by the grace of God, and fitted by the 
blood of Christ, so to do — he, thereby, refuses to ac- 
knowledge himself a poor worthless sinner. This is a 
great mistake. The believer is, in himself, " nothing at 
all." But in Christ, he is a purged worshipper He 
does not stand, in the sanctuary, as a guilty sinner, but 



40 LEVITICUS. 

as a worshipping priest, clothed in " garments of glory 
and beauty." To be occupied with my guilt, in the 
presence of God, is not humility, as regards myself, but 
unbelief, as regards the sacrifice. 

However, it must be very evident to my reader, that 
the idea of sin-bearing — the imputation of sin — the 
wrath of God, does not ^pear in the burnt offering. 
True, we read, " it shall me accepted for him, to make 
atonement for him;" but, then, it is ''atonement" not 
according to the depths and enormity of human guilt, 
but according to the perfection of Christ's surrender of 
Himself to God, and the intensity of God's delight in 
Christ. This gives us the very loftiest idea of atone- 
ment. If I contemplate Christ as the sin offering, I see 
atonement made according to the claims of divine justice, 
with respect to sin. But when I see atonement, in the 
burnt offering, it is according to the measure of Christ's 
willingness and ability to accomplish the vnll of God ; 
and according to the measure of God's complacency in 
Christ and His work. What a perfect atonement must 
that be which is the fruit of Christ's devotion to God ! 
Could there be anything beyond this ? Assuredly not. 
The burnt offering aspect of atonement is that about 
which the priestly household may well be occupied in 
the courts of the Lord's house, for ever. 

''And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into 
his pieces." The ceremonial act of '' flaying" was pecu- 
liarly expressive. It was simply the removing of the 
outward covering, in order that what was ivithin might 
be fully revealed. It was not sufficient that the offering 
should be, outwardly, "without blemish," "the hidden 
parts " should be all disclosed, in order that every sine^ 



CHAPTER I. 41 

and every joint might be seen. It was only in the case 
of the burnt offering that this action was specially named. 
This is quite in character, and tends to set forth the 
depth of Christ^s devotedness to the Father. It was no 
mere surface-work with Him. The more the secrets of 
His inner life were disclosed, the more the depths of His 
being were explored, the more clearly was it made mani- 
fest that pure devotion to the will of His Father, and 
earnest desire for His glory, were the springs of action 
in the great Antitype of the burnt offering. He was, 
most assuredly, a whole burnt offering. 

"And cut it into his pieces." This action presents a 
somewhat similar truth to that taught in the '^ sweet 
incense beaten small.^^ (Lev. xvi.) The Holy Ghost de- 
lights to dwell upon the sweetness and fragrance of the 
sacrifice of Christ, not only as a whole, but also in all its 
minute details. Look at the burnt offering, as a whole, 
and you see it without blemish. Look at it in all its 
parts, and you see it to be the same. Such was Christ ; 
and as such He is shadowed forth in this important type. 

" And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon 
the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire. And 
the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head 
and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire 
which is upon the altar." This was a high position for 
the priestly family. The burnt offering was wholly 
offered to God. It was all burnt upon the altar ;* man 



♦ It may be well, at this point, to inform the reader that 
the Hebrew word which is rendered * ^ burn," in the case of the 
burnt offering is wholly different from that which is used in 
the sin offering. I shall, because of the peculiar interest of 



42 LEVITICUS. 

did not partake of it ; but the sons of Aaron the priest, 
themselves being likewise priests, are here seen standing 
round the altar of God, to behold the flame of an accepts 
able sacrifice ascending to Him — an odor of sweet smell. 
This was a high position — high communion — a high 



the subject, refer to a few of the passages in which each word 
occurs. The word used in the burnt offering signifies * in- 
cense," or to ''burn incense,'* and occurs in the following 
passages, in some one or other of its various inflexions. Lev. 
vi. 15; ''and all the frankincense, .... and shall burn it 
upon the altar." Deut. xxxiii. 10; "they shall put incense 
before thee, and whole hurnt sacrifice upon thine altar." 
Exod. XXX. 1 ; "and thou shalt make an altar to burn incense 
upon." Ps. Ixvi. 15 ; " with the a 7ic6?iS6 of rams. " Jer. xliv. 
21; "The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah." 
Cant. iii. 16; "Perfumed with myrrh 2in.6. frankincense^ 
Passages might be multiplied, but the above will suf&ce to 
show the use of the word which occurs in the burnt ofiering. 

The Hebrew word which is rendered "burn," in connection 
with the sin ofiering, signifies to burn, in general, and occurs 
in the following passages. Gen. xl. 3 ; "let us make brick, and 
burn them thoroughly." Lev. x. 16 ; "And Moses diligently 
sought the goat of the sin ofiering, and, behold, it was burnt, ^^ 
3 Chron. xvi. 14; "And they made a very great burning for 
him." 

Thus, not only was the sin ofiering burnt in a different place, 
but a difierent word is adopted by the Holy Ghost to express 
the burning of it. Now, we cannot imagine, for a moment, 
that this distinction is a mere interchange of words, the use of 
which is indifierent. I believe the wisdom of the Holy Ghost 
is as manifest in the use of the two words, as it is in any other 
point of difference in the two ofierings. The spiritual reader 
will attadi the proper value to the above most interesting dis- 
tinctior. 



CHAPTER I 43 

order of priestly service — a striking type of the Church 
having fellowship with God, in reference to the perfect 
accomplishment of His will in the death of Christ. As 
convicted sinners, we g'aze on the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and behold therein that which meets all 
our need. The cross, in this aspect of it, gives perfect 
peace to the conscience. But, then, as priests, as purged 
worshippers, as members of the priestly family, we can 
look at the cross in another light, even as the grand con- 
summation of Christ's holy purpose to carry out, even 
i||unto death, the will of the Father. As convicted sinners, 
we stand at the brazen altar, and find peace through the 
blood of atonement; but, as priests, we stand there, to 
behold and admire the completeness of that burnt offer- 
ing — the perfect surrender and presentation of the spot- 
less One to God. 

We should have a very defective apprehension of the 
mystery of the cross, were we only to see in it that 
which meets man's need as a sinner. There were depths 
in that mystery, which only the mind of God could 
fathom. It is, therefore, important to see that when the 
Holy Ghost would furnish us with foreshadowings of the 
cross, He gives us, in the very first place, one which sets 
it forth in its aspect to God-ward. This alone would be 
sufficient to teach us that there are heights and depths 
in the doctrine of the cross which man never could reach. 
He may approach to '' that one well-spring of delight," 
and drink for ever — he may satisf}^ the utmost longings 
of his spirit — he may explore it with all the powers of 
the renewed nature ; but, after all, there is that in the 
cross which only God could know and appreciate. Hence 
it is that ^he burnt offering gets the first place. It typi- 



44 LEVITICUS. 

fies Christ's death as viewed and valued by God alone 
And surely, we may say, we could not have done with- 
out such a type as this ; for, not only does it give us the 
highest possible aspect of the death of Christ, but it also 
gives us a most precious thought in reference to God's 
peculiar interest in that death. The very fact of His in- 
stituting a type of Christ's death, which was to be ex- 
clusively for Himself, contains a volume of instruction 
for the spiritual mind. 

But though neither man nor angel can ever fully sound 
the amazing depths of the mystery of Christ's death, we 
can, at least, see some features of it which would needs 
make it precious, beyond all thought, to the heart of God. 
From the cross. He reaps His richest harvest of glory. In 
no other way could He have been so glorified, as by the 
death of Christ. In Christ's voluntary surrender of 
Himself to death, the divine glory shines out in its fullest 
brightness. In it, too, the solid foundation of all the 
divine counsels was laid. This is a most comforting 
truth. Creation never could have furnished such a basis. 
Moreover, the cross furnishes a righteous channel through 
which divine love can flow. And, finally, by the cross, 
Satan is eternally confounded, and " principalities and 
powers made a show of openly." These are glorious 
fruits produced by the cross; and, when we think of 
them, we can see just reason why there should have 
been a type of the cross exclusively for God Himself, and 
also a reason why that type should occupy the leading 
place — should stand at the very top of the list, igain, 
let me say, there would have been a grievous blanh 
among the types had the burnt offering been lacking: 



CHAPTER I. 46 

and there would be a grievous blank in the page of in 
spiration had the record of that type been withheld. 

'* But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: 
and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt 
sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto 
the Lord." This action rendered the sacrifice, typically, 
^hat Christ was essentially — ^pure, both inwardly and 
outwardly, pure. There was the most perfect correspond- 
ence between Christ's inward motives and His outward 
conduct. The latter was the index of the former. Al] 
tended to the one point, namely, the glory of God. The 
members of His body perfectly obeyed and carried out 
the counsels of His devoted heart — that heart which only 
beat for God, and for His glory, in the salvation of men. 
Well, therefore, might the priest '' burn all on the altar." 
It was all typically pure, and all designed only as food 
for the altar of God. Of some sacrifices the priest par 
took ; of some, the offerer ; but the burnt offering was 
*' all " consumed on th^ altar. It was exclusively foi 
God. The priests might arrange the wood and the fire, 
and see the flame ascend ; and a high and holy privilege 
it was so to do. But they did not eat of the sacrifice 
God alone was the object of Christ, in the burnt offering 
aspect of His death. We cannot be too simple in oui 
apprehension of this. From the moment that the un- 
blemished male was voluntarily presented at the door of 
the tabernacle of the congregation, until it was reduced 
to ashes, by the action of the fire, we discern in it Christ 
offering Himself, by the Eternal Spirit, without spot to 
God. 

This makes the burnt offering unspeakably precious 
to the soul. It gives us the most exalted view of Christ's 



46 LEVITICUS. 

work. In that work God had His own peculiar joy — a 
joy into which no created intelligence could enter. This 
must never be lost sight of. It is unfolded in the burnt 
offering, and confirmed by '' the law of the burnt offering/ 
to which we shall just refer. 

''And the Lord spake unto Moses^ saying, Command 
Aaron and his sons, saying, this is the law of the burnt 
offering: it is the burnt offering, because of the burning 
upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of 
the altar shall be burning in it. And the priest shall put 
on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put 
npon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath 
consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he 
shall put them beside the altar. And he shall put off his 
garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the 
ashes without the camp unto a clean place. And the 
&re upon the altar shall be burning in it, it shall not be 
put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every 
morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and 
he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offering. The 
fire shall ever be burning upon the altar : it shall never 
go out." (Lev. vi. 8 — 13.) The fire on the altar con- 
sumed the burnt offering, and the fat of the peace offering. 
It was the apt expression of divine holiness which found 
in Christ, and His perfect sacrifice, a proper material on 
which to feed. That fire was never to go out. There 
was to be the perpetual maintenance of that which set 
forth the action of divine holiness. Through the dark 
and silent watches of the night, the fire blazed on the 
altar of God. 

" And the priest shall put on his linen garment," &c. 
Here, the priest takes, in type, the place of Christ, whose 



CHAPTER I. 4? 

personal rightoousness is set forth by the white linen gar- 
ment. He, having given Himself up to the death of the 
cross, in order to accomplish the will of God, has entered, 
in His own eternal righteousness, into heaven, bearing 
with Him the memorials of His finished work. The 
ashes declared the completion of the sacrifice, and God's 
acceptance thereof Those ashes, placed beside the altar, 
indicated that the fire had consumed the sacrifice — that it 
was not only a completed, but also an accepted, sacrifice. 
The ashes of the burnt offering declared the acceptance 
of the sacrifice. The ashes of the sin offering declared 
the judgment of the sin. 

Many of the points on which we have been dwelling 
will, with the divine blessing, come before us with in- 
creasing clearness, fulness, precision, and power, as we 
proceed with the offerings. Each offering is, as it were, 
thrown into relief, by being viewed in contrast with all 
the rest. All the offerings, taken together, give us a fall 
view of Christ. They are like so many mirrors, arranged 
in such a manner, as to reflect, in various ways, the figure 
of that true and only perfect Sacrifice. ISTo one type 
could fully present Him. We needed to have Him re- 
flected in life and in death — as a Man and as a Victim — 
to God-ward and to us-ward ; and we have Him thus, in 
the offerings of Leviticus. God has graciously met our 
need ; and may He give us an enlarged capacity to enter 
into and enjoy His provision. 



48 LErmouB. 



CHAPTER 11. 

We, now, come to consider the meat offering which pre- 
sents, in a very distinct manner, '' the Man Christ 
Jesus." As the burnt offering typifies Christ in death, 
the meat offering typifies Him in life. In neither the 
one nor the other, is there a question of sin-bearing. 
In the burnt offering we see atonement, but no sin- 
bearing — no imputation of sin — no outpoured wrath 
on account of sin. How can we know this ? Because it 
was all consumed on the altar. Had there been aught 
of sin-bearing, it would have been consumed outside the 
camp. (Comp. Lev. iv. 11, 12, with Heb. xiii. 11.) 

But, in the meat offering, there was not even a 
question of bloodshedding. We simply find, in it, a 
beauteous type of Christ, as He lived and walked and 
served, down here, on this earth. This one fact is, of 
itself, suflScient to draw the spiritual mind to the close 
and prayerful consideration of this offering. The pure 
and perfect manhood of our blessed Lord is a theme 
which must command the attention of every true 
Christian. It is to be feared that great looseness of 
thought prevails, in reference to this holy mystery. 
The expressions which one sometimes hears and reads 
are sufficient to prove that the fundamental doctrine of 
incarnation is not laid hold of as the word presents it. 
Such expressions may, very probably, proceed from mis- 
apprehension as to the real nature of His relations, and 
as to the true character of His sufferings ; but, from what 
cause soever they arise, they should be judged in 



CHAPTER II. 49 

the light of holy scripture, and rejected. Doubtless, 
many who make use of those expressions, would re- 
coil, with just horror and indignation, from the real 
doctrine contained in them, were it put before them in 
its broad and true characters ; and, for this reason, one 
should be sorry to attribute unsoundness as to fupda- 
mental truth, where it may merely be inaccuracy of 
statement. 

There is, however, one consideration which should 
weigh heavily in the estimation of every Christian, and 
that is, the vital nature of the doctrine of Christ's 
humanity. It lies at the very foundation of Christianity ; 
and, for this reason, Satan has diligently sought, from 
the beginning, to lead people astray in reference to it. 
Almost all the leading errors which have found their 
way into the professing church disclose the Satanic- pur- 
pose to undermine the truth as to the Person of Christ. 
And even when earnest, godly men have sought to com- 
bat those errors, they have, in many cases, plunged into 
errors on the opposite side. Hence, therefore, the need 
of close adherence to the veritable words which the 
Holy Ghost has made use of in unfolding .this profound 
and most sacred mystery. Indeed, I believe, that, in 
every case, subjection to the authority of holy scripture, 
and the energy of the divine life in the soul, will prove 
effectual safeguards against every complexion of error. 
It does not require high theological attainments to enable 
a soul to keep clear of error with respect to the doctrine 
of Christ. If only the word of Christ be dwelling richly, 
and "the Spirit of Christ" be in energy, in the soul, 
there will be no room for Satan to thrust in his daxk and 
horrible suggestions. If the heart be delighting in the 
5 D 



60 LEVTTICUS. 

Christ which Scripture unfolds, it will, assuredly, shrink 
from the false Christs which Satan would introduce. If 
we are feeding upon God's reality, we shall unhesi- 
tatingly reject Satan's counterfeit. This is the best pos- 
sible way in which to escape the entanglements of error, 
in erery shape and character. '* The sheep hear his 

voice, and follow him: for they know His voice. 

And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from 
him; for th^ij know not the voice of strangers.''^ (John 
X. 4, 5.) It is not, by any means, needful to be ac- 
quainted with the voice of a stranger, in order to turn 
away from it ; all we require is to know the voice of "the 
good Shepherd." This will secure us against the en- 
snaring influence of every strange sound. While, 
therefore, I feel called upon to warn the reader against 
strange sounds, in reference to the divine mystery of 
Christ's humanity, I do not deem it needful to discuss 
such sounds, but would rather seek, through grace, to 
arm him against them, by unfolding the doctrine of 
Scripture on the subject. 

There are few things in which we exhibit more failure 
than in maintaining vigorous communion with the per- 
fect manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence it is 
that we suffer so much from vacancy, barrenness, rest- 
lessness, and wandering. Did we but enter, with a miDre 
artless faith, into the truth that there is a real Man, at 
the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens — One 
whose sympathy is perfect, whose love is fathomless, 
whose power is omnipotent, whose wisdom is infinite, 
whose resources are exhaustless, whose riches are un- 
Bearchable, whose ear is open to our every breathing, 
whos<^. hand is open to our every need, whose heart is 



CHAPTER n. 61 

fill! of unspeakable love and tenderness towards us — how 
much more happy and elevated we should be, and how 
much more independent of creature streams, through 
what channel soever they may flow 1 There is nothing the 
heart can crave which we have not in Jesus. Does it 
long for genuine sympathy ? Where can it find it, save 
in Him who could mingle His tears with those of the 
bereaved sisters of Bethany ? Does it desire the enjoy- 
ment of sincere affection? It can only find it in that 
heart which told forth its love in drops of blood. Does 
it seek the protection of real power ? It has but to look 
to Him who made the world. Does it feel the need of 
unerring wisdom to guide ? Let it betake itself to Him 
who is wisdom personified, and ^'who of God is made 
unto us wisdom." In one word, we have all in Christ 
The divine mind and the divine affections have found a 
perfect objocb in ''the man Christ Jesus;" and, surely, 
if there is that in the Person of Christ which cao 
perfectly satisfy God, there is that which ought te 
satisfy us, and which will satisfy us, in proportion as, by 
the grace of the Holy Ghost, we walk in communion 
with God. 

The Lord Jesus Christ was the only perfect man that 
ever trod this earth. He was all perfect — perfect in 
thought, perfect in word, perfect in action. In Him 
every moral quality met in divine and, therefore, perfect 
proportion. No one feature preponderated. In Him 
were exquisitely blended a majesty which overawed, 
and a gentleness which gave perfect ease in His 
presence. The Scribes and the Pharisees met His with- 
ering rebuke ; while the poor Samaritan, and *' the 
woman that was a sinner," found themselves unac- 



62 LEVITICUS. 

countably, yet irresistibly, attracted to Him. T^o one 
feature displaced another, for all was in fair and comely 
proportion. This may be traced in every scene of His 
perfect life He could say, in reference to five thousand 
hungry people, " Give ye them to eat;'^ and, when they 
were filled. He could say, '' Gather up the fragments 
that remain, that nothing be lost." The benevolence 
and the economy are both perfect; and neither inter, 
feres with the other. Each shines in its own proper 
sphere. He could not send unsatisfied hunger away ; 
neither could He sufi*er a single fragment of God's 
creatures to be wasted. He would meet, with a full and 
liberal hand, the need of the human family, and, when 
that was done. He would carefully treasure up every 
atom. The self-same hand that was widely 0}>en to 
every form of human need was firmly closed against all 
prodigality. There was nothing niggardly nor yet ex- 
travagant in the character of the perfect, the heavenly 
Man. 

What a lesson for us ! How often, with us, does 
benevolence resolve itself into a^ unwarrantable pro 
fusion! And, on the other hand, how often is our 
economy marred by the exhibition of a miserly spirit I 
At times, too, our niggard hearts refuse to open them- 
selves to the full extent of the need which presents 
itself before us ; while, at other times, we squander, 
through a wanton extravagance, that which might 
satisfy many a needy fellow-creature. Oh ! my reader, 
let us carefully study the divine picture set before us in 
the life of the ''man Christ Jesus.'' How refreshing 
and strengthening to " the inward man " to be occupied 



CHAPTER II. 53 

with Him who was perfect in all His vvays, and who 
** in all things must have the pre-eminence 1 " 

See Him in the garden of Gethsemane. There, He 
kneels in the profound depths of a humility which none 
but Himself could exhibit ; but yet, before the traitor's 
band, He exhibits a self-possession and majesty which 
cause them to go backward and fall to the ground. His 
deportment before God is prostration ; before His judges 
aud accusers, unbending dignity. All is perfect. The 
self-emptiness and the self-possession, the prostration and 
the dignity, are all divine. 

So also, when we contemplate the beauteous com- 
bination of His divine and human relations, the same 
perfectness is observable. He could say, ''How was it 
that ye sought me ? Wist ye not that I must be about 
my Father's business ? " And, at the same time, He 
could go down to Nazareth, and there set an example of 
perfect subjection to parental authority. (See Luke ii. 
49 — 51.) He could say to His mother, '' Woman, what 
have I to do with thee ? " And yet, when passing 
through the unutterable agony of the cross, He could 
tenderly commit that mother to the care of the beloved 
disciple. In the former case. He separated Himself in 
the spirit of perfect Nazariteship to accomplish His 
Father's will ; while, in the latter. He gave expression to 
the tender feelings of the perfect human heart. The 
devotion of the Nazarite and the affection of the man 
were both perfect. Neither was permitted to interfere 
with the other. Each shone with undimmed lustre in 
its proper sphere. 

Now, the fehadow of this perfect man passes before ua 
m the ''fine flour" which formed the basis of the meat 



64 LEVITICUS. 

offering. There was not so much as a single coarse 
grain. There was nothing uneven — nothing unequal — 
nothing rough to the touch. Xo matter what pressure 
came from without, there was always an even surface. 
He was never ruffled by any circumstance or set of cir- 
cumstances. He never had to retrace a step, or recall a 
word. Come what might. He always met it in that 
perfect evenness which is so strikingly typified by the 
''fine flour." 

In all these things, it is needless to say, He stands in 
marked contrast with His most honored and devoted 
servants. For example, Moses, though ''the meekest 
man in all the earth," yet "spoke unadvisedly with his 
lips." In Peter, we find a zeal and an energy which, at 
times, proved too much for the occasion ; and, again, a 
cowardice which shrank from the place of testimony and 
reproach. There was the assertion of a devotedness 
which, when the time for action arrived, was not forth- 
coming. John, who breathed so much of the atmos- 
phere of the immediate presence of Christ, exhibited, at 
times, a sectarian and an intolerant spirit. In Paul, the 
most devoted of servants, we observe considerable un- 
evenness. He uttered words to the high priest which 
he had to recall. He sent a letter to the Corinthians, 
of which at first he repented, and afterwards repented 
:iot. In all, we find some flaw, save in Him who 
is "the fairest among ten thousand, and altogether 
lovely." 

In the examination of the meat offering, it ^vill give 
clearness and simplicity to our thoughts to consider, 
5rst. the materials of which it was composed ; secondly, 



CHAPTER n 55 

*-he various forms in which it was presented ; and, 
thirdly, the persons who partook of it. 

As to the materials, the '' fine flour '^ may be regarded 
as the basis of the offering ; and, in it, we have a type 
of Chiist's humanity, wherein every perfection met. 
Every virtue was there, and ready for effectual action, 
in due season. The Holy Ghost delights to unfold the 
glories of Christ's Person, to set Him forth in all His 
peerless excellence — to place Him before us in contrast 
with all beside. He contrasts Him with Adam, even 
in his very best and highest state; as we read, *'the 
first man is of the earth, earthy : the second man is 
the Lord from heaven." (1 Cor. xv. 47.) The first 
Adam, even in his unfallen condition, was '* of the 
earth;" but the second Man was ''the Lord from 
heaven." 

The '' oil," in the mea.t offering, is a type of the Holy 
Ghost. But, inasmuch as the oil is applied in a two- 
fold way, so we have the Holy Ghost presented in a 
double aspect, in connection with the incarnation of the 
Son. The fine flour was '' mingled " with oil ; and there 
was oil ''poured " upon it. Such was the type ; and, in 
the Antitype, we see the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, 
first, '' conceived, '^^ and then '' anointed,^^ by the Holy 
Ghost. (Comp. Matt. i. 18, 23, with chap. iii. 16.) 
This is divine I The accuracy, which is here so 
apparent, draws forth the souPs admiration. It is one 
and the same Spirit which records the ingredients of the 
type, and gives us the facts in the Antitype. The one 
who has detailed for us, with such amazing precision, the 
types and shadows of the Book of Leviticus, has also 
given us the gloriou«i subject thereof, in the gospel nar- 



66 LEVITICUS. 

ratives. The same Spirit breathes through the pages of 
the Old and those of the New Testament, and enablei 
us to see how exactly the one corresponds with the 
other. 

The conception of Christ's humanity, by the Holy 
Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin, unfolds one of the 
most profound mysteries, which can possibly engage 
the attention of the renewed mind. It is most fully 
set forth in Luke's Gospel ; and this is entirely charac- 
teristic, inasmuch as, throughout that gospel, it would 
seem to be the special object of the Holy Ghost to 
unfold, in His own divinely-touching manner, *^ the 
Man Christ Jesus." In Matthew, we have ''the Son 
of Abraham — the Son of David.'' In Mark, we have 
the Divine Servant — the Heavenly Workman. In 
John, we have ''the Son of God" — the Eternal Word—' 
the Life — the Light, by whom all things were made. 
But the great theme of the Holy Ghost in Luke is " the 

Son of man." 
When the angel Gabriel had announced to Mary 

the dignity which was about to be conferred upon her, 
in connection with the great work of incarnation, she, 
not in a spirit of scepticism, but of honest ignorance, 
inquired, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a 
man ? " It, ma.nifestly, seemed to her that the birth of 
this glorious Person who was about to appear should 
be according to the ordinary principles of generation ; 
and this her thought is made the occasion, in the ex- 
ceeding goodness of God, of developing much valuable 
light, in reference to the cardinal truth of incarnation. 
The angel's reply to the virgin's question is unspeak- 
ably interesting, and cannot be too closely considered. 



CHAPTER II. 61 

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy 
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the 
Highest shall overshadow thee ; therefore also that holy 
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son 
of God.'^ (Luke i. 35.) 

From this magnificent passage, we learn that the 
human body into which the second Person of the eternai 
Trinity entered, was formed by *^the power of the 
Highest." '' A body hast thou prepared me." (Comp. 
Psalm xl. 6, with Heb. x. 6.) It was a real human 
body — real '' flesh and blood." There is no possible 
foundation here, on which gnosticism or mysticism can 
base its vapid and worthless theories — no warrant for 
the cold abstractions of the former, or the misty fancies 
of the latter. All is deep, solid, and divine reality. 
The very thing which our hearts needed — the very thing 
which God has given. The early promise had declared 
that '' the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's 
head," and none but a real man could accomplish this 
prediction — one whose nature was as real as it was 
pure and incorruptible. '' Thou shalt conceive in thy 
womb," said the angelic messenger, ^*and bring forth a 
son."* And, then, lest there should be any room 
for an error, in reference to the mode of this concep- 
tion, he adds such words as prove unanswerably, that 



* " But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent 
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." 
{y%vofxt\Qv ex ywai^o:^ yivofAivtiv vtto vojtxov.) This is a most important 
passage, inasmuch as it sets forth our blessed Lord as Son of 
God, and Son of man. "God sent forth his Son, niadeo/a 
woman," ^ Precious testimony. 



58 LEVITICUS. 

" the flesh and blood " of which the Eternal Son " tooK 
part," while absolutely real, was absolutely incapable ol 
receiving, of retaining, or of communicating a single 
taint. The humanity of the Lord Jesus was, emphar 
tically, '^that holy thing.^^ And, inasmuch as it was 
wholly without taint, it was wholly without a seed of 
mortality. We cannot think of mortality, save in con- 
nection with sin ; and Christ's humanity had nought to 
do with sin, either personally or relatively. Sin was 
imputed to Him, on the cross, where He was "made 
sin for us." But the meat offering is not the type of 
Christ as a sin-bearer. It foreshadows Him in His 
perfect life, here below — a life in which He suffered, 
no doubt, but not as a sin-bearer — not as a substitute 
— ^not at the hand of God. Let this be distinctly 
noted. Neither in the burnt offering, nor in the meat 
offering, have we Christ as a sin-bearer. In the latter, 
we see Him living ; and, in the former, we see Him 
dying ; but, in neither, is there a question of the im- 
putation of sin, nor of enduring the wrath of God, on 
account of sin. In short, to present Christ as the sin- 
ner's substitute any where else save on the cross, is to 
rob His life of all its divine beauty and excellency, 
and to displace the cross altogether. Moreover, it 
would involve the types of Leviticus in hopeless con- 
fusion. 

I would, at this point, solemnly admonish my reader, 
that he cannot be too jealous in reference to the vital 
truth of the Person and the relations of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, If there be error as to this, there is no security 
as to anything. God cannot give the sanction of Hia 
presence to aught that has not this truth for its founda^ 



CHAPTER n. 59 

don. The Person of Christ is the li\ing — the divine 
centre round which the Holy Ghost carries on all His 
operations. Let slip the truth as to Him, and you are 
like a vessel broken from its moorings, and carried, 
without rudder or compass, over the wild watery waste, 
and in imminent danger of being dashed to fragments 
upon the rocks of Arianism, Infidelity, or Atheism. 
Question the eternal Sonship of Christ — question His 
Deity — question His unspotted humanity, and you have 
opened the floodgate for a desolating tide of deadly error 
to rush in. Let no one imagine, for a moment, that 
this is a mere matter to be discussed by learned theo- 
logians — a curious question — a recondite mystery — a 
point about which we may lawfully differ. No ; it is a 
vital, fundamental truth, to be held in the power of the 
Holy Ghost, and maintained at the expense of all 
beside — yea, to be confessed, under all circumstances, 
whatever may be the consequences. 

What we want is simply to receive into our hearts, 
by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Father's revela- 
tion of the Son, and, then, our souls shall be effectually 
preserved from the snares of the enemy, let them take 
what shape they may. He may speciously cover the 
trap of Arianism or Socinianism with the grass and 
leaves of a most plausible and attractive system of inter- 
pretation ; but directly the devoted heart discovers what 
this system attempts to make of the Blessed One to 
whom it owes everything, and where it attempts to put 
Him, it finds but little, difficulty in sending it back to 
where it manifestly came from. We can well afford to 
do without human theories ; but we can never do with- 
out Christ— the Chri^ of God— the Christ of God's 



60 LEVITIOTS. 

affections — ^the Christ of God's counsels — the Ohrist o/ 
God's word. 

The Lord Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son, the second 
Person of the glorious Trinity, God manifest in the 
flesh, God over all, blessed for ever, assumed a body 
which was inherently and divinely pure, holy, and with- 
out the possibility of taint — absolutely free from every 
seed or principle of sin and mortality. Such was the 
humanity of Christ, that He could at any moment, so 
far as He was personally concerned, have returned to 
heaven, from whence He had come, and to which He 
belonged. I speak not here of the eternal counsels of 
redeeming love, or of the unswerving love of the heart 
of Jesus — His love to God — His love to God's elect, 
or of the work that was needful to ratify God's ever- 
lasting covenant with the seed of Abraham, and with 
the whole creation. Christ's own words teach us that 
"it behoved him to suffer, and to rise from the dead 
the third day." (Luke xxiv. 46.) It was necessary that 
He should suffer, in order to the full manifestation and 
perfect accomplishment of the great mystery of ivuemp- 
tion. It was His gracious purpose to ''bring many 
sons unto glory." He would not "abide alone," and, 
therefore, He, as the ''corn of wheat," should "fall 
into the ground and die." The more fully we enter 
into the truth of His Person, the more fully do we ap- 
prehend the grace of His work. 

When the apostle speaks of Christ's being "made, 
perfect through suffering," it is' as "the Captain of our 
salvation " that he contemplates Him, and not as the 
eternal Son who, as regards His own abstract Person 
ftnd nature, was divinely perfect and could not pofcisiblj 



CHAPTER II. 61 

have aught added to Him. So, also, when He Himself 
Bays, "Beheld I cast out devils, and I do cures to-day 
and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected," 
(Luke xiii. 32,) He refers to His being perfected, in 
the power of resurrection, as the Accomplisher of the 
entire work of redemption. • So far as He was personally 
concerned, He could say, even on His way forth from 
the garden of Gethsemane, '' Thinkest thou that I can- 
not now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give 
me more than twelve legions of angels ? But how then 
shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be ?" 
(Matt. xxvi. 53, 54.) 

It is well that the soul be clear as to this — well to 
have a divine sense of the harmony which exists be- 
tween those scriptures which present Christ in the 
essential dignity of His Person, and the divine purity 
of His nature, and those which present Him in His 
relation with His people, and as accomplishing the great 
work of redemption. At times we find both these 
things combined, in the same passage, as in Heb. v. 8, 
9 : " Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience 
by the things which he suffered ; and being made per- 
fect, he became the author of eternal salvation to all 
them that obey him." We must, however, bear in 
mind that not one of those relations into which Christ, 
voluntarily, entered — whether as the expression of 
divine love to a lost world, or the Servant of the divine 
counsels — not one of these could possibly interfere with 
the essential purity, excellency, and glory of His Per- 
son. '* The Holy Ghost came upon " the virgin, and 
"th3 power of the Highest overshadowed her;" and 
" therefore that holy thing which was born of her wa» 
6 



62 LEVITICUB. 

called the Son of God." Most niagnificent unfolding 
this, of the deep secret of Christ's puiC and perfect hu 
manity — the great Antitype of the "Jtne Jloiir mingled 
with oil /" 

And here, let me observe, that, between humanity, as 
seen in the Lord Jesus Christ, and humanity, as seen 
in us, there could be no union. That which is pure 
could never coalesce with that which is impure. That 
which is incorruptible could never unite with that which 
is con'uptible. The spiritual and the carnal — the 
heavenly and the earthly — could never combine. Hence, 
therefore, it follows that incarnation was not, as some 
have attempted to teach, Christ's taking our fallen 
nature into union with Himself If He could have done 
this, there would have been no need of the death of the 
cross. He needed not, in that case, to feel " straitened " 
until the baptism was accomplished — the corn of wheat 
did not need to '' fall into the ground and die." This is 
a point of grave moment. Let the spiritual mind ponder 
it deeply. Christ could not possibly take sinful hu- 
manity into union with Himself Hear what the angel 
saith to Joseph, in the first chapter of Matthew's gospel. 
'' Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee 
Mary thy wife ; for that ivhich is conceived in her is of 
the Holy Ghost. "^^ See how Joseph's natural sensibili- 
ties, as well as Mary's pious ignorance, are made the 
occasion of a fuller unfolding of the holy mystery of 
Christ's humanity; and also of guarding that humanity 
against all the blasphemous attacks of the enemy ! 

How, then, is it that believers are united to Christ ? 
Is it in incarnation or resurrection? In resurrection, 
ojssuredly. How is this proved ? ''* Except a corn of 



CHAPTER n. 63 

wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth aloneJ^ 
(John xii. 24.) At this side of death, there could be no 
union between Christ and His people. It is in the 
power of a new life that believers are united to Christ. 
They were dead in sin, and He, in perfect grace, came 
down, and, though Himself pure and sinless, was ''made 
sin" — '' died unto sin^^ — put it away — rose triumphant 
over it, and all pertaining to it, and, in resurrection, 
became the Head of a new race. Adam was the head 
of the old creation, which fell with him. Christ, by 
dying, put Himself under the full weight of His people's 
condition, and having perfectly met all that was against 
them, rose, victorious over all, and carried them with 
Him into the new creation, of which He is the glorious 
Head and Centre. Hence, we read, '' He that is joined 
'unto the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. vi. It.) "But 
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith 
he loved us, even when we were dead in si7is, hath 
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are 
saved ;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sil 
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Eph. ii 
4 — 6 ) *'For we are members of his body, of his flesh, 
and of his bones." (Eph. v. 30.) "And you being dead 
in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath 
he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all 
trespasses." (Col. ii. 13.) 

Passages might be multiplied, but the above are 
amply sufficient to prove that it was not in incarnation, 
but in death, that Christ took a position in which His 
people could be "quickened together with him." Does 
this seem unimportant to the reader? Let him examine 
U in the light of Scripture. Let Him weigh all the cod 



64 LEVITICUS. 

sequences. Let him view it in its bearing upon Christ's 
Person, upon His life, upon His death, upoa our condi 
tion, by nature, in the old creation, and our place, through 
mercy, in the new. Let him consider it thus, and, I feel 
persuaded, he will no longer regard it as a light matter. 
Of one thing, at least, he may rest assured, that the 
writer of these pages would not pen a single line to 
prove this point, did he not consider it to be fraught 
with the most momentous results. The whole of divine 
revelation so hangs together — is so adjusted by the hand 
of the Holy Ghost — is so consistent in all its parts, that, 
if one truth be disturbed, the entire arch is injured. 
This consideration should suffice to produce, in the mind 
of every Christian, a holy caution lest, by some rude 
touch, he mar the beauteous superstructure. Every 
stone must be left in its divinely-appointed place ; and, . 
unquestionably, the truth as to Christ's Person is tHe 
keystone of the arch. 

Having thus endeavored to unfold the truth typified 
by the '' fine flour mingled with oil," we may remark 
another point of much interest in the expression, ^' He 
shall pour oil upon it." In this we have a type of the 
anointing of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Holy Ghost. 
The body of the Lord Jesus was not merely formed, 
mysteriously, by the Holy Ghost, but that pure and holy 
vessel was also anointed for service, by the same power. 
*' And it came to pass when all the people were baptized, 
and Jesus also being baptized and praying, the heaven 
^as opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily 
shape, as a dove, upon him, and there was a voice from 
heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am 
well pleased." (Luke iii. 21, 22.) 



CHAPTER II. 65 

The tijiointing of the Lord Jesus, by the Holy Ghost, 
previous to His entrance upon His public ministry, is of 
immense practical importance to every one who really 
desires to be a true and an effectual servant of God. 
Though conceived, as to His manhood, by the Holy 
Ghost; though, in His own proper Person, '' God mani- 
fest in the flesh ; " though embodying, in Himself, all the 
fulness of the Godhead ; yet be it well observed, when 
coming forth, as man, to do the will of God, on the 
earth, whatever that will might be, whether preaching 
the gospel, teaching in the synagogues, healing the sick, 
cleansing the leper, casting out devils, feeding the hun- 
gry, or raising the dead, He did all by the Holy Ghost. 
That holy and heavenly vessel in which God the Son 
was pleased to appear in this world, was formed, filled, 
anointed, and led by the Holy Ghost. 

What a deep and holy lesson for us I A most need- 
ful and salutary lesson ! How prone are we to run un- 
sent ! How prone to act in the mere energy of the 
flesh ! How much of that which looks like ministry is 
only the restless and unhallowed activity of a nature 
which has never been measured and judged in the divine 
presence ! Truly, we need to contemplate, more closely, 
our divine *' meat offering " — to understand, more fully, 
the meaning of the ''fine flour anointed with oil." We 
need to meditate, more deeply, upon Christ Himself, 
who, though possessing, in His own Person, divine 
power, nevertheless, did all His work, wrought all His 
miracles, and finally, " offered himself without spot to 
God, by the eternal Spirit." He could say, "I, by the 
Spirit of God, cast out devils." 

Nothing is of any value save that which is wrought 



66 LEVITICUS. 

by the power of the Holy Ghost. A man may write; 
but, if his pen be not guided and used by the Holy 
Ghost, his lines will produce no permanent result. A 
man may speak; but, if his lips be not anointed by the 
Holy Ghost, liis word will not take permanent root. 
This is a solemn consideration, and, if properly weighed, 
would lead to much watchfulness over ourselves, aod 
much earnest dependence apon the Holy Ghost. What 
we need is thorough self-emptiness, so that there may be 
room left for the Spirit to act by us. It is impossible 
that a man full of himself can be the vessel of the Holy 
Ghost. Such an one must, first, be emptied of himself, 
and, then, the Spirit can use him. When we contem- 
plate the Person and ministry of the Lord Jesus, we see 
how that, in every scene and circumstance. He acted by 
the direct power of the Holy Ghost. Having taken His 
place, as man, down here. He showed that man should 
not only live by the Word, but act by the Spirit of God. 
Even though, as man. His will was perfect — His 
thoughts. His words. His acts, all perfect, yet would 
He not act, save by the direct authority of the Word, 
and by the direct power of the Holy Ghost. Oh ! that 
in this, as in every thing else, we could, more closely, 
more faithfully, follow in His steps. Then, indeed, 
would our ministry be more effective, our testimony more 
fruitful, our whole course more entirely to \he glory of 

God. 

The next ingredient in the meat offering demanding 
our consideration is ''the frankincense.'^ As has been 
remarked, the '' fine flour" was the basis of the offering 
The "oil" and "frankincense" were the two leading 
adjuncts ; and, truly, the connexion between these two 



CHAPTER II. 61 

latter is most instructive. The '' oil " typifies the power 
of Christ's miuistry; the ''frankincense" typifies the 
object thereof. The former teaches us that He did every- 
i,hing by the Spirit of God ; the latter that lie did every- 
thing to the glory of God. The frankincense presents 
that in the life of Christ which was, exclusively, for 
God. This is evident from the second verse: ''And he 
shall bring it (the meat ofi'ering) to Aaron's sons, the 
priests : and he shall take thereout his handful of the 
flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the franh 
incense ihQYQoi ) and the priest shall burn the memorial 
of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a 
sweet savor unto the Lord." Thus was it in the true 
meat ofiering — the Man Christ Jesus. There was that 
in His blessed life which was exclusively for God. 
Every thought, every word, every look, every act o. 
His, emitted a fragrance which w^ent up, immediately, ta 
God. And, as in the type, it was the "fire of the 
altar" that drew forth the sweet odor of the frankin- 
cense; so in the Antitype, the more he was "tried," in 
all the scenes and circumstances of His blessed life, the 
more fully was it manifested that, in His manhood, 
there was nothing that could not ascend, as an odor of a 
sweet smell, to the throne of God. If, in the burnt 
offering, we behold Christ " offering himself, without 
spot, to God;" in the meat offering, we behold Him 
presenting all the intrinsic excellence and perfect actings 
of His human nature to God. A perfect, a self-emptied, 
an obedient man, on the earth, doing the will of God, 
acting by the authority of the AYord, and by the power 
of the Spirit, had a sweet odor which could only be for 
divine acc^utance. The fact that " all the frankincen&^ " 



68 LEVITICUS. 

was consumed on the altar, fixes its import in the sin* 
plest manner. 

It now only remains for us to consider an ingredient 
which was an inseparable adjunct of the meat offering, 
namely, '' salt.^^ ''And every oblation of thy meat 
oflering shalt thou season with salt ; neither shalt thoa 
suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking 
from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou 
shalt offer salt.'' The expression, ''salt of the cove- 
nant," sets forth the enduring character of that cove- 
nant. God Himself has so ordained it, in all things, 
that nought can ever alter it — no influence can ever 
corrupt it. In a spiritual and practical point of view, 
it is impossible to over-estimate the value of such an 
ingredient. "Let your conversation be always with 
grace, seasoned with sa/^." The whole conversation of 
the Perfect Man exhibited the power of this principle. 
His words were not merely words of grace, but words 
of pungent power — words divinely adapted to preserve 
from all taint and corrupting influence. He never 
uttered a word which was not redolent with "frank- 
incense," and "seasoned with salt." The former was 
most acceptable to God, the latter most profitable for 
man. 

Sometimes, alas! man's corrupt heart and vitiated 
taste could not tolerate the pungency of the divinely- 
salted meat offering. Witness, for example, the scene 
in the synagogue of Nazareth. (Luke iv. 16 — 29.) 
The people could " bear him witness, and wonder at the 
gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth;" but 
when He proceeded to season those words with salt, 
which was so needful, in order to preserve them from 



CHAPTER II. 69 

the corrupting influence of their national pride, they 
would fain have cast Him over the brow of the hill 
whereon their city was built. 

So, also, in Luke xiv., when His words of "grace'' 
had drawn "great multitudes" after Him, He instantly 
throws in the ''salt," by setting forth, in words of holy 
faithfulness, the sure results of following Him. " Come, 
for all things are now ready." Here was the "grace." 
But, then, " whosoever forsaketh not all that he hath, 
cannot be my disciple." Here was the " salt." Grace is 
attractive ; but " salt is good." Gracious discourse may 
be popular ; but salted discourse never will. The pure 
gospel of the grace of God may, at certain times, and 
under certain circumstances, be run after by " the multi- 
tude " for a while ; but when the " salt " of a fervid and 
faithful application is introduced, it will soon thin the 
benches of all save such as are brought under the power 
of the word. 

Having thus considered the ingredients which com- 
posed the meat offering, we shall now refer to those 
which were excluded from it. 

The first of these was "leaven." "No meat offering 
which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with 
leaven." This ingredient is used throughout the inspired 
volume, without so much as a single exception, as the 
symbol of evil. In chap, xxiii. of our book, which will 
be noticed in due course, we find leaven admitted in the 
two loaves which were offered on the day of Pentecost ; 
but from the meat offering, leaven was most sedulously 
excluded. There was to be nothing sour, nothing that 
would puff up, nothing expressive of evil in that which 
typified 'the Man Christ Jesus." In Him, theri 



to LEVITICUS. 

could be nothing savoring of nature's sourness, nothing 
turgid, nothing inflated. All was pure, solid and 
genuine. His word might, at times, cut to the quick; 
but it was never sour. His style never rose above 
the occasion. His deportment ever exhibited . the deep 
reality of one walking in the •immediate presence of 
God. 

In those who bear the name of Jesus, we know, too 
well, alas ! how leaven shows itself in all its properties 
and effects. There has been but one untainted sheaf of 
human fruit — but one perfectly unleavened meat offer- 
ing ; and, blessed be God, that one is ours — ours to feed 
upon in the sanctuary of the divine presence, in fellow- 
ship with God. No exercise can be more truly edifying 
and refreshing for the renewed mind than to dwell upon 
the unleavened perfectness of Christ's humanity — to 
contemplate the life and ministry of One who was, 
absolutely and essentially, unleavened. In all His 
springs of thought, affection, desire, and imagination, 
there w^as not so much as a particle of leaven. He was 
the sinless, spotless, perfect man. And the more we 
are enabled, by the power of the Spirit, to enter into 
all this, the deeper will be our experience of the grace 
which led this perfect One to place Himself under the 
full consequences of His people's sins, as He did when 
He hung upon the cross. This thought, however, be- 
longs entirely to the sin-offering aspect of our blessed 
Lord. In the meat offering, sin is not in question. It 
Is not the type of a sin-bearer, but of a real, perfect, 
unblemished Man, conceived and anointed by the Hoi 7 
Ghost, possessing an unleavened nature, and living an 
orleavened life. dowTi here ; emitting, ever, to God-ward, 



CHAPTER II. 



ti 



the fracrrance of His own personal excellency, and main- 
taining, amongst men, a deportment characterized by 
" grace seasoned with salt." 

But there was another ingredient, as positively ex- 
eluded from the meat offering as *' leaven," and that 
was " honey." " For ye shall burn no leaven, nor any 
honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire." (Yer. 
1 1.) Now, as " leaven " is the expression of that which 
is positively and palpably evil, in nature, we may regard 
'' honey " as the significant symbol of that which is ap- 
parently Hweet and attractive. Both are disallowed of 
God— both were carefully excluded from the meat 
offering— both were unfit for the altar. Men may 
undertake, like Saul, to distinguish between what is 
''vile and refuse," and what is not; but the judgment 
of God i-anks the delicate Agag with the vilest of the 
eons of Amalek. No doubt, there are some good moral 
qualities in man which must be taken for what they 
are worth. '' Hast thou found honey, eat so much as is 
convenient;" but, be it remembered, it found no place 
in the meat offering, nor in its Antitype. There was 
the fulness of the Holy Ghost ; there was the fragrant 
odor of the frankincense; there was the preservative 
virtue of ''the salt of the covenant." AH these things 
accompanied the '' fine flour," in the Person of the true 
'' meat offering ;" but *" no honey." ■ 

What a lesson for the heart is here! yea, what a 
volume of wholesome instruction! The blessed Lord 
Jesus knew how to give nature and its relationships 
their proper place. He knew how much '' honey" was 
^* convenient." He coald say to His mother, "Wist ye 
aot that I must be abott my Father^s business?" And 



72 LEVITICUS. 

yet He could say, again, to the beloved disciple, " Be- 
hold thy mother.'' In other words, nature's claims 
were never allowed to interfere with the presentation to 
God of all the energies of Christ's perfect manhood. 
Mary and others too might have thought that her 
human relation to the blessed One gave her some pecu- 
liar claim or influence, on merely natural grounds. 
''There came, then, his brethren (''after the flesh") and 
his mother, and standing without, sent unto him, calling 
him. And the multitude sat about him ; and they said 
unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without 
seek for thee." What was the reply of the true Meat 
Offering? Did He, at once, abandon His work, in 
order to respond to nature's call ? By no means. Had 
He done so, it would have been to mingle *' honey" 
with the meat offering, a\ hich could not be. The honey 
was faithfully excluded, on this, as on every occasion, 
when God's claims were to be attended to, and instead 
thereof, the power of the Spirit, the odor of the *' frank- 
incense," and the virtues of the " salt " were blessedly 
exhibited. "And he answered them, saying. Who is 
my mother, or my brethren ? And he looked round 
about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold 
my mother and my brethren I For whosoever shall do 
the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, 
and my mother."* (Mark iii. 31 — 35.) 



* How important to see, in the above beautiful passage, that 
doing God's will brings the soul into a relationship with Christ, 
of which His brethren according to the flesh knew nothing, 
on merely natural grounds. It was as true, with respect to 
those brethren, as any one else, that "except a man be bonj 



CHAPTER II. T£ 

There are few things which the servant of Christ 
finds m3re difficult than to adjust, with spiritual ac* 
curacy, the claims of natural relationship, so as not to 
sufler them to interfere with the claims of the Master. 
In the case of our blessed Lord, as we know, the 
adjustment was divine. In our case, it often happens 
that divinely-recognized duties are openly neglected for 
what we imagine to be the service of Christ. The 

again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Mary would not 
have been saved by the mere fact of her being the mother of 
Jesus. She needed personal faith in Christ as much as anj 
other member of Adam's fallen family. She needed to pass 
by being born again, out of the old creation into the new. Tj 
was by treasuring up Christ's words in her heart that this 
blessed woman was saved. No doubt, she was *' highly 
favored" in being chosen as a vessel, to such a holy office ; 
but, then, as a lost sinner, she needed l-o *' rejoice in God her 
Saviour, " like any one else. She stands on the same platform, 
is washed in the same blood, clothed in the same righteous- 
ness, and will sing the same song, as all the rest of God's re- 
deemed. 

This simple fact will give additional force and clearness to a 
point already stated, namely, that incarnation was not Christ's 
taking our nature into union with Himself. This truth 
should be carefully pondered. It is fully brought out in 2 
Cor. V. " For the love of Christ constraineth us ; because we 
thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead : and 
that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth 
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and 
rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the 
flesh, yea, tJiough we have known Christ after the flesh, yet nous 
henceforth know ice him no more. Therefore if any man be in 
Christ, he is a new creation : old things are passed away ; be- 
hold all things are become new." (Ver. 14 — 17.) 
7 



74 LEVITICUS. 

doctriae of God is constantly sacrificed to the apparent 
work of the gospel. Now, it is well to remember that 
true devotedness always starts from a point within which 
all godly claims are fully secured. If 1 hold a situation 
which demands my services from ten till four every day, 
I have no right to go out to visit or preach, during 
those hours. If I am in business, I am bound to main- 
tain the integrity of that business, in a godly mauDer. 
I have no right to run hither and thither preaching, 
while my business, at home, lies in sixes and sevens, 
bringing great reproach on the holy doctrine of God. 
A man may say, '' I feel myself called to preach the 
gospel, and I find my situation, or my business, a clog." 
Well, if you are divinehj called and fitted for the work 
of the gospel, and that you cannot combine the two 
things, then resign your situation, or wind up your busi- 
ness, in a godly manner, and go forth, in the name of 
the Lord. But, clearly, so long as I hold a situation, or 
carry on a business, my Avork in the gospel must begin 
from a point within which the godly claims of such 
business or situation are fully responded to. This is 
devotedness. Aught else is confusion, however well- 
intended. Blessed be God, we have a perfect example 
before us in the life of the Lord Jesus, and ample 
guidance, for the new man, in the word of God; so that 
we need not make any mistakes, in the varied relation- 
5hips which we may be called, in the providence of 
God, to fill, or as to the various claims which God's 
moral government has set up, in connection with such 
relationships. 

II. The second point, in our theme, is the mode in 
which the 'neat offering was prepared. This was, as we 



CHAPTER II. 75 

read, by the action of fire. It was '' baken in an oven " 
— " baken in a pan " — or '' baken in a frying-pan.'' The 
process of baking suggests the idea of suffering. But 
inasmuch as the meat offering is called " a sweet 
savor — a term which is never applied to the sin 
offering, or trespass offering — it is evident that there is 
no thought of suffering for sin — no thought of suffering 
the wrath of God on account of sin — no thought of 
suffering at the hand of infinite Justice, as the sinner's 
substitute. The two ideas of " sweet savor " and suf- 
fering for sin, are wholly incompatible, according to the 
Levitical economy. It would completely destroy the 
type of the meat offering, were we to introduce into it 
the idea of suffering for sin. 

In contemplating the life of the Lord Jesus, which, 
as we have already remarked, is the special subject fore- 
shadowed in the meat offering, we may notice three 
distinct kinds of suffering ; namely, suffering for righte- 
ousness ; suffering by the power of sympathy ; and suf- 
fering, in anticipation. 

As the righteous Servant of God, He suffered in the 
midst of a scene in which all was contrary to Him ; but 
this was the very opposite of suffering for sin. It is of 
the utmost importance to distinguish between tljese two 
kinds of suffering. The confounding of them must 
lead to serious error. Suffering as a righteous One, 
standing amongst men, on God's behalf, is one thing; 
and suffering instead of man, under the hand of God, is 
q[uite another. The Lord Jesus suffered for righteous- 
ness, during His life. He suffered for sin, in His 
death. During His life, man and Satan did their 
utmost I ai>d. even at the cross, they put forth all their 



76 LEVITICUS. 

powers ; but when all that they could do was done—* 
when they had travelled, in their deadly enmity, to the 
utmost limit of human and diabolical opposition, there 
la}, far beyond, a region of impenetrable gloom and 
horror into which the Sin-bearer had to travel, in the 
accomplishment of His work. During His life, He ever 
walked in the unclouded light of the Divine counte- 
nance ; but, on the cursed tree, the dark shadow of sin 
intervened, and shut out that light, and drew forth that 
mysterious cry, ''My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me ? " This was a moment which stands 
absolutely alone, in the annals of eternity. From time 
to time, during the life of Christ, down here, heaven 
had opened to give forth the expression of divine com- 
placency in Him ; but on the cross God forsook Hmi, 
because He was making His soul an offering for sin. 
If Christ had been a sin-bearer all His life, then what 
was the difference between the cross and any other 
period ? Why was He not forsaken of God during His 
entire course ? What was the difference between Christ 
on the cross, and Christ on the holy mount of transfi- 
guration? Was He forsaken of God, on the mount? 
Was He a sin-bearer there? These are very simple 
questions, v/hich should be answered by those who 
maintain the idea of a life of sin-bearing. 

The plain fact is this, there was nothing either in 
Christ's humanity, or in the nature of His associations, 
which could possibly connect Him with sin, or wrath, 
or death. He was '' made sin " on the cross ; and there 
He endured the wrath of God, and there He gave up 
His life, as an all-sufficient atonement for sin; but 
nothing of this finds i place in the meat offering. True, 



CHAPTER II. t7 

wc have the process of baking — the action of fire ; but 
this is not the wrath of God. The meat offering was 
not a sin offering, but a '' sweet savor '^ offering. Thus, 
its im])ort is definitely fixed ; and, moreover, the intel- 
hgent interpretation of it must ever guard, with holy 
jealousy, the precious truth of Christ's spotless 
humanity, and the true nature of His associations. 
To make Him, by the necessity of His birth, a sin- 
bearer, or to place Him, thereby, under the curse of the 
law, and the wTath of God, is to contradict the entire 
truth of God, as to incarnation — truth announced by 
the angel, and repeated, again and again, by the inspired 
apostle. Moreover, it destroys the entire character and 
object of Christ's life, and robs the cross of its dis- 
tinctive glory. It lowers the sense of what sin is, and 
of what atonement is. In one word, it removes the 
keystone of the arch of revelation, and lays all in hope- 
less ruin and confusion around us. 

But, again, the Lord Jesus suffered by the power 
of sympathy ; and this character of suffering unfolds 
to us the deep secrets of His tender heart. Human 
sorrow, and human misery ever touched a chord in that 
bosom of love. It was impossible that a perfect human 
heart could avoid feeling, according to its own divine 
sensibilities, the miseries which sin had entailed upon 
the human family. Though, personally free, both 
from the cause and the effect — ^though belonging to 
heaven, and living a perfect heavenly life, on the 
earth, yet did He descend, by the powder of an 
intense sympathy, into the deepest depths of human 
sorrow; yea, He felt the sorrow, more keenly by far, 
than those who were the direct subjects thereof, inas* 



78 LEVITICUS. 

much as His humanity was perfect. And, further, H« 
was able to contemplate both the sorrow and its cause, 
according to their just measure and character, in the 
presence of God. He felt as none else could feel. His 
feelings — His affections — His sensibilities — His whole 
moral and mental constitution were perfect ; and, henco, 
none can tell what such an One must have suffered, in 
passing through such a world as this. He beheld the 
human family struggling beneath the ponderous weight 
of guilt and wretchedness; He beheld the whole 
creation groaning under the yoke; the cry of the 
prisoner fell upon His ear ; the tear of the widow met 
His view ; bereavement and poverty touched His sensi- 
tive heart ; sickness and death made Him *' groan in 
the spirit ; " His sympathetic sufferings were beyond all 
human conception. 

I shall quote a passage for my reader, illustrative of 
that character of suffering to w^hich we are now referring 
*' When the even was come, they brought unto him 
many that were possessed with devils : and he cast out 
the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick ; 
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias 
the prophet, saying. Himself took our infirmities^ and 
hare our sicknesses,''^ (Matt. viii. 16, It.) This was 
entirely sympathetic — the power of fellow-feeling, 
which in Him was perfect. He had no sicknesses or 
infirmities of His own. Those things which are some- 
limes spoken of as " sinless infirmities," were, in His 
case, but the evidences of a veritable, a real, a perfect 
manhood. But, by sympathy — by perfect fellow-feeUng 
" He took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." 
Nore but a perfect man could have done this. We 



CHAPTER TI. 79 

may feel for, and with, each other ; but only Jesus 
could make human infirmity and sickness His own. 

Now, had He been bearing all these things, by the 
necessity of His birth, or of His relations with Israel 
and the human family, we should have lost all the beauty 
and prec^'ousness of His voluntary sympathy. There 
could be no room for voluntary action when absolute 
necessity was laid upon Him. But, on the other hand, 
when we see His entire freedom, both personally and 
relatively, from human misery and that which produced 
it, we can enter into that perfect grace and compassion 
which led Him to ''take our infirmities, and bear our 
sicknesses," in the power of true sympathy. There is, 
therefore, a very manifest difference between Christ's 
suffering as a voluntary sympathizer with human misery, 
and His sufferings as the sinner's substitute. The 
former are apparent throughout His entire life; the 
latter are confined to His death. 

Finally, we have to consider Christ's sufferings, by 
anticipation. We find the dark shadow of the cross 
casting itself athwart His path, and producing a very 
keen order of suffering, which, however, must be as 
clearly distinguished from His atoning suffering, as 
either His suffering for righteousness, or His suffering 
by sympathy. Let us take a passage, in proof: '' And 
he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mo vmt of 
Olives; and his dkciples also followed him. Ana when 
ae was at the place, he said unto them, Pray tnat ye 
entei not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from 
them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and )-rayed, 
saying. Father, if thou be willing, remove this cu^^ from 
me ' nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done. A nd 



80 LEVITICUS. 

there appeared an angel unto him from heaven strength- 
ening him. And being in an agony, he prayed more 
earnestly : and his sweat was as it were great drops of 
blood falling down to the ground." (Luke xxii. 39 — 44.) 
Again, we read, *' And he took with him Peter and the 
two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and 
very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is ex- 
ceeding sorrowful, even unto death : tarry ye here, and 

watch with me he went away again the second 

time, and prayed, saying, my Father, if this cup may 
not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be 
done." (Matt. xxvi. 37—42.) 

From these verses, it is evident, there was a some- 
thing, in prospect, which the blessed Lord had never 
encountered before. There was a ^'cup" being filled 
out for Him of which He had not yet drunk. If He 
had been a sin-bearer all His life, then why this intense 
*' agony " at the thought of coming in contact with sin 
and enduring the wrath of God on account of sin? 
What was the difference between Christ, in Gethsemane, 
and Christ, at Calvary, if He were a sin-bearer all His 
life ? There was a material difference I but it is because 
He was not a sin-bearer all His life. What is the differ- 
ence ? In Gethsemane, He was anticipating the cross I 
at Calvary, He was actually enduring it. In Gethse- 
mane, '^ there appeared an angel unto him from heaven 
strengthening him ; " at Calvary, He was forsaken of 
all. There was no angelic ministry there. In Gethse- 
mane He addresses God as ''Father,^^ thus enjoying the 
full communion of that ineffable relationship; but at 
Calvary, He cries, '' My Godj my Godj why hast thou 
forsaken mo?" Here the Sin-bearer looks up, and 



CHAPTER II. m 

beholds the throne of eternal Justice enveloped in dark 
clouds, and the countenance of inflexible Holiness 
averted from Him because Ha was being *' made sin 
for us." 

The reader will, I trust, find no diflSculty in ex 
amining this subject for himself. He will be able to 
trace, in detail, the three characters of the Zi/e-safferings 
of our blessed Lord, and to distinguish between them 
and His cZea/7i-suffcrings — His sufi'erings for sin. He 
will see how that, when man and Satan had done their 
utmost, there yet remained a character of suffering 
which was perfectly unique, namely, suffering, at the 
hand of God, on account of sin — suffering as the sinner's 
substitute. Until He came to the cross, He could ever 
look up and bask in the clear light of His Father's coun- 
renance. In the darkest hour, He found a sure resource 
above. His path down here was a rough one. How 
could it be otherwise, in a world where all was directly 
contrary to His pure and holy nature? He had to 
"endure the contradiction of sinners against himself" 
He had to endure '* the reproach of them that reproached 
God." What had He not to endure? He was misun- 
derstood, misinterpreted, abused, maligned, accused of 
being mad, and of having a devil. He was betrayed, 
denied, deserted, mocked, buffeted, spit upon, crowned 
with thorns, cast out, condemned, and nailed between 
two malefactors. All these things He endured at the 
Land of man, together with all the unutterable terrors 
which Satan brought to bear upon His spirit ; but let it 
be, once more, emphatically repeated, when man and 
Satan had exhausted their power and enmity :i.r blessed 
r<ord and Sav'our had to endure a something compared 



82 LEVITICUS. 

witli which all the rest was as nothing, and that was the 
hiding of God's countenance — the three hours of dart 
ness and awful gloom, during which He suffered what 
none but God could know. 

Now, when scripture speaks of our having fellowship 
with Christ's sufferings, it refers, simply, to His suffer- 
ings for righteousness — His sufferings at the hand of 
man. Christ suffered for sin, that we might not have to 
suffer for it. He endured the wi-ath of God, that we 
might not have to endure it. This is the ground of our 
peace. But, as regards suffering from man, we shall 
always find that the more faithfully we follow in the 
footsteps of Christ, the more we shall suffer in this 
respect ; but this is a matter of gift, a matter of privi- 
lege, a favor, a dignity. (See Philip, i. 29, 30.) To 
walk in the footsteps of Christ — to enjoy companionship 
with Him — to be thrown into a place of sympathy with 
Him, are privileges of the very highest order. Would 
that we all entered, more fully, into them! But, alas I 
we are too well content to do without them — ^too well 
satisfied, like Peter, to "follow afar off" — to keep aloof 
from a despised and suffering Christ. All this is, un 
doubtedly, our heavy loss. Had we only more fellow- 
ship with His sufferings, the crown would glisten, far 
more brightly, in our soul's vision. When we shrink 
from fellowship with Christ's sufferings, we rob our- 
selves of the deep joy of His present companionship, 
and also of the moral power of the hope of His future 
glory 

III. Having considered the ingredients which com 
posed the meat offering, and the various forms in which 
it was presented, it only remain? for us to refer to the 



CHAPTER n. 83 

persons who partook of it. These were the head and 
members of the priestly house. "And that which is 
left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons' • 
it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made 
by fire." (Ver. 10.) As in the burnt offering, we ob- 
served the sons of Aaron introduced as types of all true 
believers, not as convicted sinners, but as worshipping 
priests; so, in the meat offering, we find them feeding 
upon the remnant of that which had been laid, as it 
were, on the table of the God of Israel. This was a 
high and holy privilege. None but priests could enjoy 
it. This is set forth, with great distinctness, in '' the 
law of the meat offering," which I shall here quote at 
length. ** And this is the law of the meat offering: the 
sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the 
altar. And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour 
of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the 
frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and 
shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor, even the 
memorial of it unto the Lord. And the remainder 
thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat : with unleavened 
bread shall it be eaten, in the holy place ; in the court 
of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. 
It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto 
them for their portion of my offerings made by fire ; it is 
most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass 
offering. All the males among the children of Aaron 
shall eat of it: it shall be a statute for ever in your 
generations, concerning the offerings of the Lord made 
by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy,^^ 
(Lev. vi. 14—18.) 
Hare, then, we are furnished with a beauteous figure 



84 LEVITICUS. 

of the Church, feeding, ''in the holy place,'' in th«i 
power of practical holiness, upon the perfections of 
''the Man Christ Jesus." This is our portion, through 
the grace of God; but, we must remember, it is to be 
eaten "with unleavened bread." We cannot feed upon 
Christ if we are indulging in anything evil. "Every 
one that toucheth them shall be holy." Moreover, it 
must be "in the holy place." Our position, our prac- 
tice, our persons, our associations, must be holy, ere we 
can feed upon the meat offering. Finally, it is, " all 
the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it." 
That is to say, real priestly energy, according to the 
divine idea of it, is required, in order to enjoy this holy 
portion. Aaron's " sons " set forth the idea of energy 
in priestly action. His '' daughters,''^ feebleness therein. 
(Comp. Xumb. xviii. 8 — 13.) There were some things 
which the sons could eat which the daughters could not. 
Our hearts should earnestly desire the highest measure 
of priestly energy, so that we may discharge the highest 
priestly functions, and partake of the highest order of 
priestly food. 

In conclusion, let me add that, inasmuch as we are 
made, through grace, "partakers of the divine nature," 
we can, if living in the energy of that nature, walk in 
the footsteps of Him who is foreshadowed in the meat 
offering. If only we are self-emptied, our every act 
may emit a sweet odor to God. The smallest as well 
as the greatest services may, by the power of the Holy 
Ghost, present the fragrance of Christ. The paying of 
a visit, the writing of a letter, the public ministry of 
the word, giving a cup of cold water to a disciple, 
giving a penny to a pa?iper, yea, the common-place 



CHAPTER II. 85 

acts of eating and drinking — all may emit the sweet 
perfume of the name and grace of Jesus. 

So, also, if only nature be kept in the place of death, 
there may be, in us, the exhibition of that which is not 
corruptible, even a conversation seasoned with the 
** salt " of abiding communion with God. But, in all 
these things, we fail and come short. We grieve the 
Holy Spirit of God in our ways. We are prone to self- 
seeking or men-pleasing, in our very best services, and 
we fail to "season" our conversation. Hence, our 
constant deficiency in the "oil," the "frankincense," 
and the " salt ;" while, at the same time, there is the 
tendency to suffer the "leaven" or the "honey" of 
nature to make its appearance. There has been but 
one perfect "meat offering;" and, blessed be God, we 
are accepted in Him. We are the " sons " of the true 
Aaron; our place is in the sanctuary, where we can 
feed upon the holy portion. Happy place ! Happy 
portion ! May we enjoy them more than ever we have 
done! May our retirement of heart from all but 
Christ be more profound. May our gaze at Him be so 
intense, that we shall have no heart for the attractions 
of the scene around us, nor yet for the ten thousand 
petty circumstances, in our path, which would fret the 
heart and perplex the mind. May we rejoice in Christ, 
in the sunshine and in the darkness; when the gentle 
breezes of summer play around us, and when the 
storms of winter rage fiercely abroad; when passing 
over the surface of a placid lake, or tossed on the bosom 
of a stormy ocean. Thank God ! " we have found him " 
who is to be our satisfying portion for ever. We shall 

spend eternity dv/elling upon the divine perfections oi 
8 



86 LEVITICUS. 

the Lord Jesus. Our eyes shall never be averted froa 
Him, when once we have seen Him as He is. 

May the Spirit of God work mightily in us, to 
strengthen us, "in the inner man." May He enable 
us to feed upon that perfect Meat Offering, the memorial 
of which has been fed upon by God Himself! This is 
our L )ly and happy privilege. May we realize it, yet 
more fully I 



CHAPTER III. 

The more closely we contemplate the offerings, the 
more fully do we see how that no one offering furnishes 
a complete view of Christ. It is only by putting all 
together, that anything like a just idea can be formed. 
Each offering, as might be expected, has features pecu- 
liar to itself. The peace offering differs from the burnt 
offering, in many points ; and a clear understanding of 
the points in which any one type differs from the others, 
will be found to help much in the apprehension of its 
Bpecial import. 

Thus, in comparing the peace offering with the burnt 
offering, we find that the threefold action of ''flaying," 
''cutting it into its pieces," and "washing the inwards 
and legs " is entirely omitted ; and this is quite in char- 
acter. In the burnt offering, as we have seen, we find 
Christ offering Himself to, and accepted by, God ; and, 
hence, the completeness of His self-surrender, and also 
the s^ax'ching process to which He submitted Himself, 



CHAPTER III. 87 

had to be typified. In the peace offering, the leading 
thought is the communion of the worshipper. It is 
not Christ as enjoyed, exclusively, by God, but as en- 
joyed by the worshipper, in communion with God. 
Therefore it is that the whole line of action is less 
intense. No heart, be its love ever so elevated, could 
possibly rise to the height of Christ's devotedness to 
God, or of God's acceptance of Christ. None but God 
Himself could duly note the pulsations of that heart 
which throbbed in the bosom of Jesus ; and, therefore, 
a tvpe was needed to set forth that one feature of 
Ch'ist's death, namely, His perfect devotedness tliercin 
to God. This type we have in the burnt offering, in 
wh'ch, alone, we observe the threefold action above re- 
fe.Ted to. 

So, also, in reference to the character of the sacrifice, 
la the burnt offering, it should be '' a male without 
b/^mish ; " whereas, in the peace offering, it might be 
'' a male or female," though equally ''without blemish." 
The nature of Christ, whether we view Him as enjoyed 
exclusiveh' by God, or by the worshipper in fellowship 
with God, must ever be one and the same. There can 
be no alteration in that. The only reason why '* a 
female " was permitted in the peace offering, was because 
it was a question of the worshipper's capacity to enjoy 
that blessed One, who, in Himself is ** the sab.e yes- 
terday, to-day, and for ever." (Heb. xiii.) 

Again, in the burnt offering, we read, '' The priest 
shall burn all ; " whereas, in the peace offering, a part 
only was burnt, that is, '' the fat, the kidneys, and the 
caul." This makes it exceedingly simple. The most 
excellcTit portion of the sacrifice was laid on God's 



8&- LEVITICUS. 

altar. The inward parts — the hidden energies — the 
tender sensibilities of the blessed Jesus, were devoted 
to God as the only One who could perfectly enjoy them. 
Aaron and his sons fed upon ''the wave breast" and 
" the heave shoulder." * (See corefully Lev. vii. 28 — 36.) 
All the members of the priestly family, in communion 
with their head, had their proper portion of the peace 
offering. And now, all true believers, constituted by 
grace priests unto God, can feed upon the affections 
and the strength of the true Peace Offering — can enjoy 
the happy assurance of having His loving heart and 
powerful shoulder to comfort and sustain them con- 
tinually.f " This is the portion of the anointing of 
Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the 
offerings of the Lord made by fire, in the day when he 
presented them to minister unto the Lord in the priest's 
ofiSce ; which the Lord commanded to be given them of 
the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them 
by a statute for ever throughout their generations." 
(Chap. vii. 35, 36.) 

All these are important points of difference between 
the burnt offering and the peace offering; and, when 
taken together, they set the two offerings, with great 
clearness, before the mind. There is something more 
in the peace offering than the abstract devotedness of 

* The ** breast" and the ** shoulder" are emblematical of 
love and power — strength and affection. 

f There is much force and beauty in verse 31 : ^'The breast 
shall be Aaron's and his sons." It is the privilege of all true 
believers to feed upon the affections of Christ— the changeless 
love of that heart which beats with a deathless and changeless 
love ^or then? 



CHAPTER m. 89 

Christ to the will of God. The worshipper is intro- 
duced; and that, not merely as a spectator, but as a 
participator — not merely to gaze, but to feed. This 
gives very marked character to this offering. When I 
look at the Lord Jesus in the burnt offering, I see Him 
as One whose heart was devoted to the one object of 
glorifying God and accomplishing His will. But when 
I see Him in the peace offering, I find One who has a 
place in His loving heart, and on His powerful shoulder, 
for a worthless, helpless sinner. In the burnt offering, 
the breast and shoulder, legs and inwards, head and fat, 
were all burnt on the altar — all went up as a sweet 
savor to God. But in the peace offering, the very 
portion that suits me is left for me. Nor am I left to 
feed, in solitude, on that which meets my individual 
need. By no means T feed in communion — in com- 
munion with God, and in communion with my fellow- 
priests. I feed, in the full and happy intelligence, that 
the selfsame sacrifice which feeds my soul has already 
refreshed the heart of God; and, moreover, that the 
same portion which feeds me feeds all my fellow- 
worshippers. Communion is the order here — commu- 
nion with God — the communion of saints. There was 
no such thing as isolation in the peace offering. God 
had His portion, and so had the priestly family. 

Thus it is in connection with the Antitype of the 
peace offering. The very same Jesus who is the object 
of heaven's delight, is the spring of joy, of strength, 
and of comfort to every believing heart ; and not only 
to evory heart, in particular, but also to the whole 
church of God, in fellowship. God, in His exceeding 
ijrace, has given His people the very same object that 



90 LEVITICUS, 

He has Himself. '* Truly our fellowship is i^ith the 
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1 John L) 
True, our thoughts of Jesus can never rise to the 
height of God-s thoughts. Our estimation of such an 
object must ever fall far short of His ; and, hence, in 
the type, the house of Aaron could not partake of the 
fat. But though we can never rioc to the standard of 
the divine estimation of Christ's Person and sacrifice, it 
is, nevertheless, the same object we are occupied with, 
and, therefore, the house of Aaron had '' the wave 
breast and the heave shoulder." All this is replete 
with comfort and joy to the heart. The Lord Jesus 
Christ — the One ''who was dead, but is alive for ever- 
more," is now the exclusive object before the eye and 
thoughts of God ; and'; in perfect grace. He has given 
into us a portion in the same blessed and- all-glorious 
Person. Christ is our object too — the object of our 
hearts, and the theme of our song. '' Having made 
peace by the blood of his cross," He ascended into 
heaven, and sent down the Holy Ghost, that '' other 
Comforter," by whose powerful ministrations we feed 
upon ''the breast and shoulder" of our divine " Peace 
Offering." He is, indeed, our peace ; and it is our 
exceeding joy to know that such is God's delight in the 
establishment of our peace, that the sweet odor of our 
peace offering has refreshed His heart. This imparts 
a peculiar charm to this type. Christ, as the burnt 
offering, commands the admiration of the heart ; Christ, 
as the peace offering, establishes the peace of the con- 
science, and meets the deep and manifold necessities of 
the soul. The sons of Aaron might stand around the 
%\tQX of burnt offering; they might behold the flame 



CHAPTEK in. 91 

of that offering ascending to the God of Israel ; they 
might see the sacrifice reduced to ashes ; they might, in 
view of all this, bow their heads and worship : but they 
carried nought away for themselves. Not so in the 
peace offering. In it they not only beheld that which 
was capable of emitting a sweet odor to God, but also 
of yielding a most substantial portion for themselves on 
which they could feed, in happy and holy fellowship. 

And, assuredly, it heightens the enjoyment of every 
true priest to know that God (to use the language of our 
type) has had His portion, ere he gets the breast and 
the shoulder. The thouo:ht of this gives tone and 
energy, unction and elevation to the worship and com- 
inunion. It unfolds the amazing grace of H:m who has 
given us the same object, the same theme, the same joy 
with Himself Nothing lower — nothing less than ihis 
could satisfy Him. The Father will have the prodigal 
feeding upon the fatted calf, in fellowship with Himself 
He will not assign him a lower place than at His own 
table, nor any other portion than that on which He feeds 
Himself The language of the peace offering is, *'it is 
meet that toe should make merry and be glad " — '* Let 
us eat and be merry." Such is the precious grace of 
God I No doubt, we have reason to be glad, as being 
the partakers of such grace ; but when we can hear the 
blessed God saying, ''Let its eat and be merry," it 
should call forth from our hearts a continual stream of 
praise and thanksgiving. God's joy in the salvation of 
sinners, and His joy in the communion of saints, may 
well elicit the admiration of men and angels throughout 
eternity. 

Having, thus, compared the peace offering with the 



92 LEVITICUS. 

burnt ofifering, we may, now, briefly glance at it, i* 
connection with the meat offering. The leading point 
of difference, here, is that, in the peace offering, there 
was blood-shedding, and in the meat offering, there was 
not. They were both ''sweet savor" offerings; and, as 
we learn, from chap. vii. 12, the two offerings were 
very intimately associated. Now, both the connection 
and the contrast are full of meaning and instruction. 

It is only in communion with God that the soul can 
delight itself in contemplating the perfect humanity of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Holy Ghost must 
impart, as He must also direct, by the word, the vision 
by which we can gaze on ''the Man Christ Jesus." 
He might have been revealed "in the likeness of sinful 
flesh;" He might have lived and labored on this earth; 
He might have shone, amid the darkness of this world, 
in all the heavenly lustre and beauty which belonged to 
His Person; He might have passed rapidly, like a 
brilliant luminary, across this world's horizon; and, all 
the while, have been beyond the range of the sinner's 
vision. 

Man could not enter into the deep joy of communion 
with all this, simply because there would be no basis 
laid down on which this communion might rest. In the 
peace offering, this necessary basis is fully and clearly 
established. " He shall lay his hand upon the head of 
his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of 
the congregation: and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall 
sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about." (Chap, 
iii. 2.) Here, we have that which the meat offering 
does not supply, namely, a solid foundation for the wor- 
shipper's communion with all the fulness, the precious* 



CHAPTER III. 93 

tiess, and the beauty of Christ, so far as He, by the 
gracious energy of the Holy Ghost, is enabled to entei 
thereinto. Standing on the platform which ^^ the 
precious blood of Christ " provides, we can range, with 
tranquillized hearts, and worshipping spirits, throughout 
all the wondrous scenes of the manhood of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Had we nought save the meat offering 
aspect of Christ, we should lack the title by which, 
and the ground on which, we can contemplate and enjoy 
Him therein. If there were no blood-shedding, there 
could be no title, no standing place for the sinner. But 
Leviticus vii. 12 links the meat offering with the peace 
offering, and, by so doing, teaches us that, when our 
souls have found peace, we can delight in the One, 
who has ''made peace," and who is ''our peace." 

But let it be distinctly understood that while, in the 
peace offering, we have the shedding and sprinkling of 
blood, yet sin-bearing is not the thought. When we 
view Christ, in the peace offering. He does not stand 
before us as the bearer of our sins, as in the sin and 
trespass offerings; but (having borne them) as the 
ground of our peaceful and happy fellowship with God. 
If sin-bearing were in question, it could not be said, " It 
\s an offering made by fire of a sweet savor unto the 
Lord.'^ (Chap. iii. 5 comp. with chap. iv. 10 — 12.) 
Still, though sin-bearing is not the thought, there is full 
provision for one who knows himself to be a sinner, else 
he could not have any portion therein. To have fellow- 
ship with God we must be " in the light ;" and how can 
we be there? Only on the ground of that precious 
statement, *' the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleansetb 
us from ill sin." (1 John i.) The more we abide in 



94 LEVITICUS. 

the light, the deeper will be our sense of eve»7 thing 
which is contrary to that light, and the deeper, also, our 
sense of the value of that blood which entitles us to be 
there. The more closely we walk with God, the more 
we shall know of "the unsearchable riches of Christ." 

It is most needful to be established in the truth that 
we are in the presence of God, only as the partakers of 
divine life, and as standing in divine righteousness. 
The Father could only have the prodigal at his table, 
clothed in ''the best robe," and in all the integrity of 
that relationship in which He viewed him. Had the 
prodigal been left in his rags, or placed "as a hired 
servant" in the house, we never should have heard 
those glorious words, " Let us eat and be merry : for this 
my son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and 
is found." Thus it is with all true believers. Their old 
nature is not recognized as existing, before God. He 
counts it dead, and so should they. It is dead, to God 
—dead, to faith. It must be kept in the pJace of death. 
It is not by improving our old nature that we get into 
the divine presence; but as the possessors of a new 
nature. It was not by repairing the rags of his former 
condition that the prodigal got a place at the Father's 
table, but by being clothed in a robe which he had never 
seen, or thought of before. He did not bring this robe 
with him from the " far country," neither did he provide 
it as he came along ; but the father had it for him in the 
house. The prodigal did not make it, or help to make 
it; but the father provided it for him, and rejoiced to 
see it on Iiim. Thus it was they sat down together, to 
feed, in happy fellowship, upon "the fatted calf" 

I shpll now proceed to quote at length " the law of 



CHAPTER ni. 9S 

the sacrifice of peace oflfering," in which we ?±all find 
6ome additional points of much interest — points which 
belong peculiarly to itself; " And this is the law of the 
sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the 
Lord. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall 
offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes 
mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with 
oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour fried. Be- 
sides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened 
bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace 
offerings. And of it he shall offer one out of the whole 
oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord, and it shall 
be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace 
offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace 
offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day 
that it is offered ; he shall not leave any of it until the 
morning. But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, 
or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day 
that he offereth his sacrifice : and on the morrow also 
the remainder of it shall be eaten ; but the remainder 
of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be 
burnt with fire. And if any of the flesh of the sacri- 
fice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third 
day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed 
unto him that offereth it : it shall be an abomination, 
and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 
And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shell 
not be eaten ; it shall be burnt with fire : and as for the 
flesh all that be clean shall eat thereof. Buti the soul 
that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings 
that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleiihness upon 
him. even that soul shall be cut off from his people 



96 LEVITICUS. 

Morer^Tei, the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, 
as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any 
abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the 
sacrilice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, 
even that soul shall be cut off from his people." (Lev. 
vii. 11—21.) 

It is of the utmost importance that we accurately 
distinguish between sin in the fiesh^ and sin on the corir 
science. If we confound these two, our souls must, 
necessarily, be unhinged, and our worship marred. An 
attentive consideration of 1 John i. 8 — 10 will throw 
much light upon this subject, the understanding of 
which is so essential to a due appreciation of the entire 
doctrine of the peace offering, and more especially of 
fhat point therein at which we have now arrived. 
There is no one who will be so conscious of indwelling 
sin as the man who walks in the light. "If we say 
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth 
is not in us." In the verse immediately preceding, we 
read, '' the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us 
from all sin.^^ Here the distinction between sin in us, 
and sin on us, is fully brought out and established. To 
say that there is sin on the believer, in the presence of 
God, is to call in question the purging eflBcacy of the 
blood of Jesus, and to deny the truth of the divine 
record-' If the blood of Jesus can perfectly purge, then 
the believer's conscience is perfectly purged. The word 
of God thus puts the matter ; and we must ever re- 
member that it is from God Himself we are to learn 
what the true condition of the believer is, in His sight. 
We are more disposed to be occupied in telling God 
what we are in ourselves, than to allow Him to tell us 



CHAPTER ni. 97 

i\hat we are in Christ. In other words, we are more 
taken up with our own self-consciousness, than with 
God's revelation of Himself. God speaks to us on the 
ground of what He is in Himself and of what He has 
accomplished, in Christ. Such is the nature and char- 
acter of His revelation of which faith takes hold, and 
thus fills the soul with perfect peace. God's revelation 
is one thing ; my consciousness is quite another. 

But the same word which tells us we have no sin on 
us, tells us, with equal force and clearness, that we 
have sin in us. "If we say that we have no sin, 
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 
Every one who has '^ truth " in him, will know that he 
has " 8in " in him, likewise ; for truth reveals every thing 
as it is. What, then, are we to do ? It is our privilege 
so to walk in the power of the new nature, that 
the *' sin " which dwells in us may not manifest itself in 
the form of '' sins^ The Christian's position is one of 
victory and liberty. He is not only delivered from the 
guilt of sin, but also from sin as a ruling principle in 
his life. " Knowing this, that our old man is crucified 
with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that 
henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead 

is freed from sin let not sin therefore reign in 

your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts 

thereof For sin shall not have dominion over 

you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.'' 
(Horn. vi. 6 — 14.) Sin is there in all its native vileness ; 
but the believer is "dead to it." How? He died in 
Christ. By nature he was dead in sin. By grace he 
is dead to it. What claim can anything or any one 
havo upon a dead man ? None whatever. Chrisi 
9o 



98 LEVITICUS. 

''died unto sin once," and the believer died in Ilim. 
"^'ow if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we 
shall also live with him : knowing that Christ bein^ 
raised from the dead, dicth no more, death hath no more 
dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto 
sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." 
What is the result of this in reference to believers ? 
'* Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed 
unto sirij but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our 
Lord." Such is the believer's unalterable position, 
before God! so that it is his holy privilege to enjoy 
freedom from sin as a ruler over him, though it be a 
dweller in him. 

But, then, "if any man sin," what is to be done? 
The inspired apostle furnishes a full and most blessed 
answer. '' If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just 
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness." (1 John i. 9.) Confession is the 
mode in which the conscience is to be kept free. The 
apostle does not say, ''If we pray for pardon, he is 
gracious and merciful to forgive us." No doubt, it is 
ever happy for a child to breathe the sense of need into 
his father's ear — to tell him of feebleness, to confess 
folly, infirmity, and failure. All this is most true; 
and, moreover, it is equally true that our Father is 
most gracious and mercii'ul to meet Ilis children in all 
tbeir weakness and ignorance; i)ut, while all this is 
true, the Holy Ghost declares, by the apostle, that, *Mf 
we co/?/(^s.s," God is ''faithful and jui^t to forgive." 
Confession, therefore, i^ the divine mode. A TlhriStian, 
having erred, in thought, word, or deed, migh prav for 
pardon, for days 'ind months top:ether. and uo\ uavj^ any 



CHAPTER ni. 99 

assurance, from 1 John i. 9, that he was forgiven ; 
whereas the moment he truly confesses his sin, before 
God, it is a simple matter of faith to know that he is 
perfectly forgiven and perfectly cleansed. 

There is an immense moral difference between praying 
for forgiveness, and confessing our sins, whether we 
look at it in reference to the character of God, the 
sacrifice of Christ, or the condition of the soul. It is 
quite possible that a person's prayer may involve the 
confession of his sin, whatever it may happen to be, 
and thus come to the same thing. But, then, it is 
always well to keep close to scripture, in what we think, 
and say, and do. It must be evident that when the 
Holy Ghost speaks of confession, He does not mean 
praying. And, it is equally evident that He knows 
there are moral elements in, and practical results 
flowing out of, confession, which do not belong to 
prayer. In point of fact, one has often found that a 
habit of importuning God for the forgiveness of sins, 
displayed ignorance as to the way in which God has 
revealed Himself in the Person and work of Christ; 
as to the relation in which the sacrifice of Christ has 
set the believer*; and as to the divine mode of getting 
the conscience relieved from the burden, and purified 
from the soil, of sin. 

God has been perfectly satisfied, as to all the be- 
liever's sins, in the cross of Christ. On that cross, a 
full atonement was presented for every jot and tittle of 
sin, in the believer's nature, and on his conscience. 
Hence, therefore, God does not need any further pro- 
pitiation. He does not need aught to draw His heart 
toward the believer. We do not require to suppli(^ate 



100 LEVITICUS. 

Him to bo ''faithful and just," when His faithfulnesa 
and justice have been so gloriously displayed, vindicated, 
and answered, in the death of Christ. Our sins can 
never come into God's presence, inasmuch as Christ who 
bore them all, and put them away, is there instead, 
liut, if we sin, conscience will feel it, must feel it ; yea, 
(he Holy Ghost will make us feel it. He cannot allow 
so much as a single light thought to pass unjudged 
What then ? Has our sin made its way into the pre- 
sence of God? Has it found its place in the unsul- 
lied light of the inner sanctuary ? God forbid ! The 
'* Advocate" is there — "Jesus Christ the righteous," 
to maintain, in unbroken integrity, the relationship in 
which we stand. But, though sin cannot affect God's 
thoughts in reference to us, it can and does affect our 
thoughts in reference to Him.* Though it cannot make 
its way into His presence, it can make its way into 
ours, in a most distressing and humiliating manner. 
Though it cannot hide the Advocate from God's view, 
it can hide Him from ours. It gathers, like a thick, dark 
cloud, on our spiritual horizon, so that our souls cannot 
bask in the blessed beams of our Father's countenance. 
It cannot affect our relationship with God, but it can 
very seriously affect our enjoyment thereof What, 
therefore, are we to do ? The word answers, " if we 

* The reader will bear in mind that the subject ti^eatcd of in 
the text, leaves wholly untouched the important and most 
practical truth taught in John xiv. 21 — 23, namely, the pecu- 
liar love of the Father for an obedient child, and the special 
communion of such a child with the Father and the Son. 
May this truth be written on all our hearts, by the pen of God 
the Holy Ghost I 



CHAPTER in. 101 

confess our sins, be is faithful and just to forgive us 
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 
By confession, we get our conscience cleared ; the sweet 
sense of our relationship restored ; the dark cloud dis- 
persed ; the chilling, withering influence removed ; our 
thoughts of God set straight. Such is the divine 
method ; and we may truly say that the heart that knows 
what it is to have ever been in the place of confession, 
will feel the divine power of the apostle's words, " My 
little children, these things write I unto you, THAT 
YE SIN NOT." (1 John ii. 1.) 

Then, again, there is a style of j^raying for forgiveness, 
which involves a losing sight of the perfect ground of 
forgiveness, which has been laid in the sacrifice of the 
cross. If God forgives sins, He must be *' faithful and 
just," in so doing. But it is quite clear that our prayers, 
be they ever so sincere and earnest, could not form the 
basis of God's faithfulness and justice, in forgiving us 
our sins. Nought save the work of the cross could do 
this. There the faithfulness and justice of God have 
had their fullest establishment, and tha.t, too, in imme- 
diate reference to our actual sins, as well as to the root 
thereof, in our nature. God has already judged our 
sins in the Person of our Substitute, "on the tree;" 
and, in the act of confession, we judge ourselves. This 
is essential to divine forgiveness and restoration. The 
very smallest unconfessed, unjudged sin, on the con- 
science, will entirely mar our communion with God. Sin 
in us need not do this ; but if Ave sutler sin to remain on 
us, we cannot have fellowship with God. He has put 
away our sins in such a manner, as that He can have U8 
in His presence; and, so long as we abide in His 



102 LEVITICUS. 

presence, sin does not trouble us. But, if we get out of 
His presence, and commit sin, even in thought, our 
communion must, of necessity, be suspended, until, by 
confession, we have got rid of the sin. All this, I need 
hardly add, is founded, exclusively, upon the perfect sac- 
rifice and righteous advocacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Finally, as to the difference between prayer and con- 
fession, as respects the condition of the heart before 
God, and its moral sense of the hatefulness of sin, it 
cannot, possibly, be over-estimated. It is a much easier 
thing to ask, in a general way, for the forgiveness of our 
sins than to confess those sins. Confession involves 
self-judgment ; asking for forgiveness may not, and, in 
itself, does not. This alone would be sufficient to -point 
out the difference. Self-judgment is one of the most 
valuable and healthful exercises of the christian life ; 
and, therefore, anything which produces it, must be 
highly esteemed by every earnest Christian. 

The difference between asking for pardon, and con- 
fessing the sin, is continually exemplified in dealing with 
children. If a child has done anything wrong, he finds 
much less difficulty in asking his father to forgive him, 
than in openly and unreservedly confessing the wrong. 
In asking for forgiveness, the child may have in his mind 
a number of things which tend to lessen the sense of the 
evil ; he may be secretly thinking that he was not so 
much to blame, after all, though, to be sure, it is only 
proper to ask his father to forgive him; whereas, in 
confessing the wrong, there is just the one thing, and 
that is self-judgment. Further, in asking for forgiveness, 
the child may be influenced, mainly, by a desire to escape 
the cons^^quences of his WTong; whereas, a judicious 



CHAMER in. ioS 

parent will seek to produce a just sense of its moral 
evil, which can only exist in connection with the full con- 
fession of the fault — in connection with self-judgment. 

Thus it is, in reference to God's dealings with His 
children, when they do wrong. He must have the 
whole thJDg brought out and thoroughly judged. He will 
make us not only dread the consequences of sin — which 
are unutterable — but hate the thing itself, because of its 
hatefulness in his sight. Were it possible for us, when 
we commit sin, to be forgiven, merely for the asking, 
our sense of sin, and our shrinking from it, would not 
be nearly so intense ; and, as a consequence, our estimate 
of the fellowship with which we are blessed, would not 
be nearly so high. The moral effect of all this upon 
the general tone of our spiritual constitution, and also 
apon our whole character and practical career, must be 
obvious to every experienced Christian.* 

This entire train of thought is in'.imately connected 
with, and fully borne out by, two leading principles laid 
down in "the law of the peace offering." 

* The case of Simon ^Lagus, in Acts viii., may present a 
difficulty to the reader. But of him, it is sufficient to say that 
one •• in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity," 
could never be set forth as a mode) for God's dear cliilch-en. 
His case in nowise interferes with the doctrine of 1 Jolni i. 9. 
He was not in the relationsliip of a child, and, as a conse- 
quence, not a sybject of the advocacy. I would further add, 
that the subject of the I^ord's prayer is by no means involved 
in what is stated above. I wish to contlne myself to the 
immediate passage under consideralion. We must ever avoid 
laying down iron rtdes. A soul may cry to God, under any 
circumstances, and ask for what it needs. lie is ever read^ 
fco hear and answer. 



104 LEVITICUS. 

In verse 13, of the seventh of Leviticus, we read, "he 
shall offer for his offering leavened bread." And, yet, 
at verse 20, we read, ''But the soul that eateth of the 
flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto 
the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that 
soul shall be cut off from his people." Here, we have 
the two things clearly set before us, namely, sin in us, 
and sin on us. '' Leaven " was permitted, because there 
was sin in the worshipper's nature. '' Uncleanness " was 
forbidden, because there should be no sin on the wor- 
shipper's conscience. If sin be in question, communion 
must be out of the question. God has met and provided 
for the sin, which He knows to be in us, by the blood of 
atonement; and, hence, of the leavened bread in the 
peace offering, we read, '' of it he shall offer one out 
of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the 
Lord, and it shall be the priesfs that sprinkleth the 
blood of the peace offerings.''^ (ver. 14.) In other 
words, the *' leaven," in the worshipper's nature, was 
perfectly met by the ''blood" of the sacrifice. The 
priest who gets the leavened bread, must be the sprinkler 
of the blood. God has put our sin out of His sight for 
ever. Though it be in us, it is not the object on which 
His eye rests. He sees only the blood ; and, therefore, 
He can go on with us, and allow us the most unhindered 
fellowship with Him. But if we allow the "sz?i" which 
is in us to develop itself in the shape of "sins," there 
must be confession, forgiveness, and cleansing, ere we 
can again eat of the flesh of the peace offering. The 
cutting off of the worshipper, because of ceremonia' 
ancleanness, answers to the suspension of the believer'a 
communion now. because of unconfessed sin. To 



CHAPTER ni. 105 

attempt to have fellowship with God in our sins, would 
involve the blasphemous insinuation that He could walk 
m companionship with sin. "If we say that we have 
fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and 
do not the truth." (1 John i. 6.) 

In the light of the foregoing line of truth, we may 
easily see how much we err, when we imagine it to be 
a mark of spirituality to be occupied with our sins. 
Could sin or sins ever be the ground or material of our 
communion with God? Assuredly not. We have 
just seen that, so long as sin is the object before us, 
communion inust be interrupted. Fellowship can only 
be " in the light ;" and, undoubtedly, there is no sin in 
the light. There is nought to be seen there, save the 
blood which has put our sins away, and brought us 
nigh, and the Advocate which keeps us nigh. Sin has 
been for ever obliterated from that platform on which 
God and the worshipper stand in hallowed fellowship. 
What was it which constituted the material of com- 
munion between the Father and the prodigal ? Was it 
the rags of the latter ? Was it the husks of " the far 
country ?" By no means. It was not anything that the 
prodigal brought with him. It was the rich provision 
of the Father's love—" the fatted calf." Thus it is with 
God and every true worshipper. They feed together, in 
holy and elevated communion, upon Him whose precious 
blood has brought them into everlasting association, in 
that light to which no sin can ever approach. 

Nor need we, for an instant, suppose that true hu 
mility is either evidenced or promoted by looking at, or 
dwelling upon, our sins. An unhallowed and melan- 
choly mopichnes.s may, th' i^ be superinduced; but the 



106 LEVl'TtCtfg. 

deepest humility springs from a totally different source. 
Whether was the prodigal an humbler man, ''when he 
came to himself" in the far country, or when he came 
to the Father's bosom and the Father's house ? Is it 
not evident that the grace which elevates us to the 
loftiest heights of fellowship with God, is that alone 
which leads us into the most profound depths of a 
genuine humility ? Unquestionably. The humility 
which springs from the removal of our sins, must cvcc 
be deeper than that which springs from the discovery of 
them. The former connects us with God ; the latter has 
to do with self The way to be truly humble is to walk 
with God in the intelligence and power of the relation- 
ship in which He has set us.. He has made us His 
children ; and if only we walk as such, we shall be 
humble. 

Ere leaving this part of our subject, I would offer a 
remark as to the Lord's Supper, which, as being a 
prominent act of the Church's communion, may, with 
strict propriety, be looked at in connection with the 
doctrine of the peace offering. The intelligent celebra- 
tion of the Lord's Supper must ever depend upon the 
recofirnition of its purely eucharistic or thanksgiving 
character. It is, very especially, a feast of thanksgiving 
— ^thanksgiving for an accomplished redemption. "The 
cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion 
of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is 
it not the communion of the body of Christ ?'' (1 Cor. 
X. 16.) Hence, a soul, bowed down under the heavy 
burden of sin, cannot, with spiritual intelligence, eat the 
Lord's Supper, inasmuch, as that feast is expressive of 
the coroplete removal o" sin by the death of Christ. '* Ye 



CHAPTER III. 107 

do show the Lord's death till he come." (1 Cor. xi.) In 
the death of Christ, faith sees the end of everything that 
pertained to our old-creation standing ; and, seeing that 
the Lord's Supper " shows forth " that death, it is to be 
viewed as the memento of the glorious fact that the be- 
liever's burden of sin was borne by One who put it away 
for ever. It declares that the chain of our sins, which 
once tied and bound us, has been eternally snapped by 
the death of Christ, and can never tie and bind us again. 
We gather round the Lord's table in all the joy of con- 
querors. We look back to the cross where the battle 
was fought and won; and we look forward to the glory 
where we shall enter into the full and eternal results of 
the victory. 

True, we have '' leaven " in us ; but we have no *^ un- 
cleanness " on us. We are not to gaze upon our sins ; 
but upon Him who bore them on the cross, and put them 
away for ever. We are not to " deceive ourselves " by 
the vain notion ''that we have no sin " in us ; nor are we 
to deny the truth of God's word, and the efficacy of 
Christ's blood, by refusing to rejoice in the precious 
truth that we have no sin on us, for *'the blood of Jesus 
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." It is truly 
deplorable to observe the heavy cloud that gathers round 
the Supper of the Lord, in the judgment of so many pro- 
fessing Christians. It tends, as much as anything else, 
to reveal the immense amount of misapprehension which 
obtains, in reference to the very elementary truths of the 
gospel. In fact, we know that when the Lord's Supper 
Is resorted to on any ground save that of known salva- 
tion — enjoyed forgiveness — conscious deliverance, the 
soul bec^^mes wrapped up in thicker and darker mists 



108 LEVITICUS. 

than ever. That which is only a memorial of Christ la 
used to displace Him. That which celebrates an accom- 
plished redemption is used as a stepping-stone thereto 
It is thus that the ordinances are abused, and souls 
plunged in darkness, confusion, and error. 

How difierent from this is the beautiful ordinance of 
the peace offering ! In this latter, looked at in its typical 
import, we see that the moment the blood was shed, God 
and the worshipper could feed in happy, peaceful fellow- 
ship. Nothing more was needed. Peace was established 
by the blood ; and, on that ground, the communion pro- 
ceeded. A single question as to the establishment of 
peace must be the death-blow to communion. If we are 
to be occupied with the vain attempt to make pf^ace w^th 
God, we must be total strangers to either communion or 
worship. If the blood of the peace offering has not been 
shed, it is impossible that we can feed upon *' the wave 
breast" or "the heave shoulder." But if, on the other 
hand, the blood has been shed, then peace is made 
already. God Himself has made it, and this is enough 
for faith; and, therefore, by faith, we have fellowship 
with God, in the intelligence and joy of accomplished 
redemption. We taste the freshness of God's own joy in 
that which he has wrought. We feed upon Christ, in 
all the fulness and blessedness of God's presence. 

This latter point is connected with, and based upon, 
another leading truth laid down in "the law of the 
peace offering." "And the flesh of the sacrifice r»f hib 
peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same 
day that it is offered : he shall not leave any of it until 
the morning." That is to say, the communion of the 
worshipper must n'^ver be separated from the sacriOce 



CHAPTER m. 109 

on which that communion is founded. So long as one 
has spiritual energy to maintain the connection, the 
worship and communion are also maintained, in fresh- 
ness and acceptableness ; but no longer. We must keep 
close to the sacrifice, in the spirit of our minds, the 
affections of our hearts, and the experience of our souls. 
This will impart power and permanency to our worship 
We may commence some act or expression of worship, 
with our hearts in immediate occupation with Christ,- 
and, ere we reach the close, we may become occupied 
with what we are doing or saying, or with the persons 
who are listening to us ; and, in this way, fall into what 
may be termed *' iniquity in our holy things." This is 
deeply solemn, and should make us very watchful. We 
may begin our worship in the Spirit and end in the flesh. 
Our care should ever be, not to suffer ourselves to pro- 
ceed for a single moment beyond the energy of the Spirit, 
at the time ; for the Spirit will always keep us occupied 
directly with Christ. If the Holy Ghost produces " five 
words " of worship or thanksgiving, let us utter the five 
and have done. If we proceed further, we are eating the 
flesh of our sacrifice beyond the time ; and, so far from 
its being ''accepted," it is, really, ''an abomination." 
Let us remember this, and be watchful. It need not 
alarm us. God would have us led by the Spirit, and so 
filled with Christ in all our worship. He can only ac- 
cept of that which is divine ; and, therefore, He would 
have us presenting that only which is divine. 

" But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow or a 

voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that 

he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the 

remainder of it shall be eaten," (Chap. vii. 16.) When 

10 



110 LEVTTTCtrs, 

the soul goes forth to God in a voluntary act of worship, 
such worship will be the result of a larger measure of 
spiritual energy than where it merely springs from some 
special mercy experienced at the time. If one has been 
visited with some marked favor from the Lord's own 
hand, the soul, at once, ascends in thanksgiving. In 
this case, the worship is awakened by, and connected 
with, that favor or mercy, whatever it may happen to 
be, and there it ends. But, where the heart is led forth 
by the Holy Ghost in some voluntary or deliberate ex- 
pression of praise, it will be of a more enduring character. 
But spiritual worship will always connect itself with the 
precious sacrifice of Christ. 

'' The remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice, on the 
third day, shall be burnt with tire. And if any of the 
flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten av all 
on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shad it 
be imputed unto him that offercth it: it shall be an 
abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his 
iniquity." Nothing is of any value, in the judgment of 
God, which is not immediately connected with Christ. 
There may be a great deal of what looks like worship, 
which is, after all, the mere excitement and outgoing of 
natural feeling. There may be much apparent devotion, 
which is, merely, fleshly pietism. Nature may be acted 
upon, in a religious way, by a variety of thiugs, such as 
pomp, ceremony, and parade, tones and attitudes, robes 
and vestments, an eloquent liturgy, all the varied attrac- 
tions of a splendid ritualism, while there may be a total 
absence of spiritual worship. Yea, it not unfrequeii'Jy 
happens that the very same tastes and tendencies wL.ch 
are called forth anc? gratified by the splendid appliamci 



CHAPTER m. Ill 

of so-called religious worship, would find most suited 
aliment at the opera or in the concert-room. 

All this has to be watched against by those who de- 
sire to remember that *' God is a spirit, and th.^-y that 
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." 
(John iv.) Religion, so-called, is at this momcLC, deck- 
mg herself with her most powerful charms. Casting 
off the grossness of the middle ages, she is calling to her 
aid all the resources of refined taste, and of a cultivated 
and enlightened age. Sculpture, music, and painting, 
are pouring their rich treasures into her lap, in order 
that she may, therewith, prepare a powerful opiate to 
lull the thoughtless multitude into a slumber, which shaK 
only be broken in upon by the unutterable horrors of 
death, judgment, and the lake of fire. She, too, can say, 
' I have peace offerings with me ; thje day have I paid 

my vows I have decked my bed with coverings 

of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinna- 
mon." (Prov. vii.) Thus does corrupt religion allure, 
by her powerful influence, those who will not hearken 
to wisdom's heavenly voice. 

Reader, beware of all this. See that your worship 
stands inseparably connected with the work of the cross. 
See that Christ is the ground, Christ the material, and 
the Holy Ghost the power of your worship. Take care 
that your outward act of worship does not stretch itself 
beyond the inward power. It demands much watchful* 
ness to keep cleo,r of this evil. Its incipient workings 
are most difficult to be detected and counteracted. We 
may commence a hymn in the true spirit of worship, 
and, throuo^h lack of spiritual power, we may, ere we 



112 LEVITICtlS. 

reach the close, fall into the evil which answers to the 
ceremonial act of eating the flesh of the peace offering 
on the third day. Our only security is in keeping close 
to Jesus. If we lift up our hearts in ''thanksgiving," 
for some special mercy, let us do so in the power of the 
name and sacrifice of Christ. If our souls go forth in 
" voluntary " worship, let it be in the energy of the 
Holy Ghost. In this way shall our worship exhibit 
that freshness, that fragrance, that depth of tone, that 
moral elevation, which must result from having the 
*Fatber as the object, the Son as the ground, and the 
Holy Ghost as the power of our worship. 

Thus may it be, Lord, with all thy worshipping peo- 
ple, until we find ourselves, body, soul, and spirit, in the 
security of thine own eternal presence, beyond the reach 
of all the unhallowed influences of false worship and 
corrupt religion, and also beyond the reach of the various 
hindrances which arise from these bodies of sin and 
death which we carry about with us I 



Note. — It is interesting to observe that, although the 
peace offering itself stands third in order, yet "the law" 
thereof is given us last of all. This circumstance is not 
without its import. There is none of the offerings in 
which the communion of the worshipper is so fully un- 
folded as in the peace offering. In the burnt offering, it 
is Christ offering Himself to God. In the meat offering, 
we have Christ's perfect humanity. Then, passing on 
to the sin offering, we learn that sm, in its root, is fully 
met. In the trespass offering, there is a full answer to 
the actual sins, in the life. But, in none is the doctrine 



CHAPTER IV, ETO. 113 

of the communion of the worshipper unfolded. This 
latter belongs to ''the peace offering;" and, hence, I 
believe, the position which the law of that offering 
occupies. It comes in, at the close of all, thereby teach- 
ing us that, when it becomes a question of the souPs 
feeding upon Christ, it must be a full Christ, looked at 
in every possible phase of His life. His character, His 
Person, His work. His offices. And, furthermore, that, 
when we shall have done, for ever, with sin and sins, 
we shall delight in Christ, and feed upon Him, through- 
out the everlasting ages. It would, I believe, be a 
serious defect in our study of the offerings, were we to 
pass over a circumstance so worthy of notice as the 
above. If '' the law of the peace offering " were given 
in the order in which the offering itself occurs, it would 
come in immediately after the law of the meat offering; 
but, instead of that, *' the law of the sin offering," and 
"the law of the trespass offering " are given, and, then, 
'' the law of the peace offering " closes the entire. 



CHAPTER IV.— V. 13. 

Having considered the " sweet savor " offerings, we 
now approach the ''sacrifices for sin." These were 
divided into two classes, namely, sin offerings and 
trespass offerings. Of the former, there were three 
grades ; first, the offering for " the priest tl at is 
anointed." and for "the whole congregation." These 

H 



114 LEVITICUS. 

two were the same in their rites and ceremoriea 
(Compare ver. 3 — 12, with ver. 13 — 21.) It was the 
same in result, whether it were the representative of 
the assembly, or the assembly itself, that sinned. la 
either case there were three things involved : God's 
dvvelling-place in the assembly, the worship of the 
assembly, and individual conscience. Now, icasmucb 
as all three depended upon the blood, we find, in th6 
first grade of sin offering, there were three things done 
with the blood. It was sprinkled ''seven times before 
the Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary.''^ This 
secured Jehovah's relationship with the people, and His 
dwelling in their midst. Again, we read, ''The priest 
shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altai 
of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the taber- 
nacle of the congregation." This secured the worship 
of the assembly. By putting the blood upon " the 
golden altar," the true basis of worship was preserved ; 
so that the flame of the incense and the fragrance 
thereof might continually ascend. Finally, " He shall 
pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the 
altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the 
tabernacle of the congregation." Here we have the 
claims of individual conscieace fully answered; for the 
brazen altar was the place of individual approach. It 
was the place where God met the sinner. 

In the two remaining grades, for " a ruler" or " one 
of the conmion people," it was merely a question of 
individual conscience; and, therefore, there was only 
one thing done with the blood. It was all poured " at 
the bottom of the altar of burnt offering," (Comp. ver. 
*r with ver. 25, 80.) There is divine precision in al) 



CHaFTES IV., ETC. 115 

this, which demands the close attention of my reader, 
if only he desires to enter into the marvellous detail of 
this type.* 

* 7 here is this difference between the offering for ** a ruler," 
and for **one of the common people :" in the foimer, it was 
**a male without blemish ; " in the latter, '^ a female without 
blemish." The sin of a ruler would, necessarily, exert a wider 
influence than that of a common person ; and, therefore, a 
more powerful application of the value of the blood was 
needed. In chapter v. 13, we find cases demanding a still 
lower application of the sin offering — cases of swearing and of 
touching any uncleanness, in which 'Hhe tenth part of an 
ephah of fine flour" was admitted as a sin offering. (See 
chap. V. 11 — 13.) What a contrast between the view of atone- 
ment presented by a ruler's bullock, and a poor man's handfu 
of flour ! And yet, in the latter, just as truly as in the former 
we read, ** it shall be forgiven him." 

The reader will observe that chapter v. 1 — 13, forms a part 
of chapter iv. Both are comprehended under one head, and 
present the doctrine of sin offering, in all its applications, from 
the bullock to the handful of flour. Each class of offering is 
introduced by the words, ^* And the Lord spake unto Moses." 
Thus, for example, the sweet savor offerings (chap. i. — iii.) are 
introduced by the words, **The Lord called unto Moses." 
These words are not repeated until chap. iv. 1, where they 
introduce the sin offering. They occur again at chap. v. 14 
where they introduce the trespass offering for wrongs done 
"in the holy things of the Lord ; " and again at chap. vi. 1, 
where they introduce the trespass offering for n^rongs done to 
one's neighbor. 

This classification is beautifully simple, and will help the 
leader to understand the different classes of offering. As to 
the different grades in each class, whether *' a bullock," *'a 
ram," ** a female," '*abird," or "a handful of flour," they 
would seem to be so many varied applications of the Name 
fi:rand truth. 



I If) LEVITICUS. 

The jffect of individual sin could not extend beyond 
rndivi(.ual (conscience. The sin of *' a ruler," or of 
** one of the common people," could not, in its ufluence, 
reach '' the altar of incense " — the place of priestly 
worship. Neither could it reach to ''the vail of the 
sanctuary " — the sacred boundary of God's dwelling- 
place in the midst of His people. It is well to ponder 
this. We must never raise a question of personal sin 
or failure, in the place of priestly w^orship, or in the 
assembly. It must be settled in the place of personal 
approach. Many err as to this. They come into the 
assembly, or into the ostensible place of priestly wor- 
ship, with their conscience defiled, and thus drag down 
the whole assembly and mar its worship. This should 
be closely looked into, and carefully guarded against. 
We need to walk more watchfully, in order that our 
conscience may ever be in the light. And when we 
fail, as, alas ! we do in many things, let us have to do 
with God, in secret, about our failure, in order that true 
worship, and the true position of the assembly may 
always be kept, with fulness and clearness, before the 
soul. 

Having said thus much as to the three grades of sin 
offering, we shall proceed to examine, in detail, the 
principles unfolded in the first of these. In so doing, 
we shall be able to form, in some measure, a just con- 
ception of the' principles of all. Before, however, enter- 
ing upon the direct comparison already proposed, I would 
call my reader's attention to a very prominent point set 
forth in the second verse of this fourth chapter. It if 
contained in the expression, '' If a soul shall sin tlirougl 
ignorance.''^ This presents a truth of the deepest blessed- 



CUAPTEil IV., ETC. 117 

QesS; ia connection with the atonement of the Lord Jesus 
CJirist. In contemplating that atonement, we see in- 
finitely more than the mere satisfaction of the claims of 
conscience, even though that conscience had reached the 
highest point of refined sensibility. It is our privilege 
to see, therein, that which has fully satisfied all the claims 
of divine holiness, divine justice, and divine majesty. 
The holiness of God's dwelling-place, and the ground of 
His association with His people, could never be regulate 1 
by the standard of man's conscience, no matter how high 
the standard might be. There are many things which 
man's conscience would pass over — many things which 
might escape man's cognizance — many things which 
his heart might deem all right, which God could not 
tolerate ; and, which, as a consequence, would interferb 
with man's approach to, his worship of, and his relation- 
ship with God. Wherefore, if the atonement of Christ 
merely made provision for such sins as come within the 
compass of man's apprehension, we should find ourselvej? 
very far short of the true ground of peace. We need to 
uiKJerstand that sin has l^een atoned for, according to 
God's measurement thereof — that the claims of His throne 
have been perfectly answered — that sin, as seen in the 
light of His inflexible holiness, has been divinely judged 
This is what gives setled peace to the soul. A full 
atonement has been made for the believer's sins of 
ignorance, as well as for his known sins. The sacrifice 
of Christ lays the foundation of his relationship and 
fellowship with God, according to the divine estimate of 
the claims thereof. 

A clear sense of this is of unspeakable value. Jnlcsa 
this feature of the atonement be laid hold of, there can 



118 LEVITICUS. 

not be settled pea<je ; nor will there be any just moral 
sense of the extent and falness of the work of Christ, or 
of the true nature of the relationship founded thereon 
God knew what was needed in order that man might be 
in His presence without a single misgiving; and He has 
made ample provision for it in the cross. Fellowship 
between God and man were utterly impossible if sin had 
not been disposed of, according to God's thoughts about 
it : for, albeit man's conscience were satisfied, the ques- 
tion would be ever suggesting itself, Has God been 
satisfied ? If this question could not be answered in the 
affirmative, fellowship could never subsist.* The thought 
would be continually intruding itself upon the heart, 
that things were manifesting themselves in the details of 
life, which divine holiness could not tolerate. True, we 
might be doing such things ''through ignorance;'' but 
this could not alter the matter before God, inasmuch as 
all is known to Him. Hence, there would be continual 
apprehension, doubt, and misgiving. All these things 
are divinely met by the fact that sin has been atoned for, 
not according to our "ignorance," but according to God's 
knowledge. The assurance of this gives great rest to 
the heart and conscience. All God's claims have been 
answered by His own work. He Himself has made the 

* I would desire it to be particula]'ly remembered, that the 
point before us in the text is simply atonement. The Chris- 
tian reader is fully aware, I doubt not. that the possession of 
'•the divine nature" is essential to fellowslnp with God. I 
Qot only need a title to approach God. but a nature to enjoy 
Him. The soul that '-believes in the name of the only-be- 
gotten So7i of God" has both the one and the other. (See 
John i. 13 ^8 ; ii^ 36 ; v 24 ; xx. 31 ; 1 John v. 11-^13.) 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 119 

provision ; and, therefore, the more refined the believer's 
conscience becomes, under the combined action of the 
word and Spirit of God — the more ho p:row3 in a 
divinely-adjusted sense of all that morally befits the 
sanctuary — the more keenly alive he becomes to ev^cry 
thing which is unsuitcd to the divine presence, the 
fuller, clearer, deeper, and more vigorous will be his 
apprehension of the infinite value of that sin ofTcring 
which has not only travelled bcN'ond the utmost bounds 
of human conscience, but also met, in absolute perfec- 
tion, all the requirements of divine holiness. 

Nothing can more forcibly express man's incompetency 
to deal with sin, than the fact of there being such a 
thing as a " sin of ignorance." How coukl he deal with 
that which he knows not ? How could he dispose of 
.hat which has never even come within the range of his 
conscience? Impossible. Irian's ignorance of sin proves 
Dis total inability to put it aw^ay. If he does not" know 
Df it, what can he do about it? Nothing. He is as 
powerless as he is ignorant. Nor is this all. The fact 
of a " sin of ignorance '' demonstrates, most clearly, the 
uncertainty which must attend upon every settlement of 
the question of sin, in which no higher claims have been 
responded to than those put forth by the most refined 
human conscience. There can never be settled peace 
upon this ground. There will ahvays be the painful 
apprehension that there is something wrong underneath. 
If the heart be not led into settled repose by the scrip- 
ture testimony that the inflexible claims of divine Jus- 
tice have been answered, there must, of necessity, be a 
sensation of uneasiness, and every such sensation pre- 
HUD^B a barr-er to our worship, our communion, and our 



120 r^EViTicus. 

testimony. If I am uneasy in reference to the settle, 
ment of the question of sin, I cannot worship ; I cannot 
enjoy communion, either with God or His people; nor 
can I be an intelligent or effective witness for Christ. 
The heart must be at rest, before God, as to the perfect 
remission of sin, ere we can "worship him in spirit and 
in truth." If there be guilt on the conscience, there 
must be terror in the heart; and, assuredly, a heart 
filled with terror cannot be a happy or a worshipping 
heart. It is only from a heart filled with that sweet 
and sacred repose which the blood of Christ imparts, 
that true and acceptable worship can ascend to the 
Father. The same principle holds good with respect to 
our fellowship with the people of God, and our service 
and testimony amongst men. All must rest upon the 
foundation of settled peace ; and this peace rests upon 
the foundation of a perfectly purged conscience; and this 
purged conscience rests upon the foundation of the per- 
fect remission of all our sins, whether they be sins of 
knowledge or sins of ignorance. 

We shall now proceed to compare the sin offering with 
the burnt offering, in doing which, we shall find two very 
different aspects of Christ. But, although, the aspects are 
different, it is one and the same Christ; and, hence, the 
sacrifice, in each case, was "without blemish." This is 
easily understood. It matters not in what aspect we 
contemplate the Lord Jesus Christ, He must ever be 
seen as the same pure, spotless, holy, perfect one. True, 
He did, in His abounding grace, stoop to be the sin- 
bearer of His people; but it was a perfect, spotless 
Christ who did so; and it would be nothing short of 
diabolical ^^ickedness to take occasion, from the depth of 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 121 

His humiliation, to tarnish the personal glory of the 
humbled One. The intrinsic excellence, the unsullied 
purity, and the divine glory of our blessed Lord appear 
in the sin ofiering, as fully us in the burnt offering. It 
matters not in what relationship He stands, what office 
He fills, what work He performs, what position He 
occupies, His personal glories shine out, in all their 
divine effulgence. 

This truth of one and the same Christ, whether in the 
burnt offering, or in the sin offering, is seen, not only in 
the fact that, in each case, the offering w^as ^' without 
blemish," but, also, in ''the law of the sin offering," 
where we read, ''this is the law of the sin offering: in 
the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin 
offering be killed before the Lord : it is most holy." (Lev. 
vi. 25.) Both types point to one and the same great 
Antitype, though they present Him in such contrasted 
aspects of His work. In the burnt offering, Christ is 
seen meeting the divine affections ; in the sin offering. 
He is seen meeting the depths of human need. That 
presents Him to us as the Accomplisher of the will of 
God ; this, as the Bearer of the sin of man. In the 
former, we are taught the preciousness of the sacrifice ; 
in the latter, the hatefulness of sin. Thus much, as to 
the two offerings, in the main. The most minute exami- 
nation of the details will only tend to establish the mind 
in the truth of this general statement. 

In the first place, when considering the burnt offering, 
we observed that it was a voluntary offering. " He 
shall offer it of his own voluntary will." * Now, the 



* Some may find difficulty in the fact that the word "volun- 
tary " has reference to *-he worshipper and not to the sacrifice; 



1 22 LEVITICUS. 

word ''voluntary" does not occur in the sin offeriig. 
This is precisely what we might expect. It is in full 
keeping with the specific object of the Holy Ghost, in 
the burnt offering, to sot it forth as a free-will offering. 
It was Christ's meat and drink to do the will of God, 
whatever that will might be. He never thought of in- 
quiring what ingredients were in the cup which the 
Father was putting into His hand. It was quite 
sufficient for Him that the Father had mingled it. 
Thus it w^as with the Lord Jesus as foreshadowed by the 
burnt offering. But, in the sin offering, we have quite 
a different line of truth unfolded. This type introduces 
Christ to our thoughts, not as the '* voluntary " Accom- 
plisher of the will of God, but as the Bearer of that 
terrible thing called '' sin," and the Endurer of all its 
appalling consequences, of which the most appalling, to 
Him, was the hiding of God's countenance. Hence, the 
word '* voluntary " would not harmonize with the object 
of the Spirit, in the sin offering. It would be as com- 
pletely out of place, in that type, as it is divinely in 
place, in the burnt offering. Its presence and its ab- 
sence are alike divine ; and both alike exhibit the perfect, 
the divine precision of the types of Leviticus. 

Now, the point of contrast which w^e have been con- 
sidering, explains, or rather harmonizes, two expressions 
used by our Lord. He says, on one occasion, " the cup 
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " 

but this can, in no wise, affect the doctrine put forward in the 
text, which is founded upon the fact that a special word used 
ill the burnt offering is omitted in tlie sin offering. The con- 
trast holds good, whether we think of the offerer or the 
offering. 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 123 

And, again, " Father, if it be possible, let this cup 
pass from me." The former of these expressions was 
the full carrying out of the words with which He en- 
tered upon His course, namely, *' Lo, I ( ome, to do thy 
will, O God ; " and, moreover, it is the utterance of 
Christ, as the burnt offering. The latter, on the other 
hand, is the utterance of Christ, when contemplating 
the place which He was about to occupy, as the sin 
offering. What that place was, and what was involved 
to Him, in taking it, we shall see, as we proceed ; but it 
is interesting and instructive to find the entire doctrine 
of the two offerings involved, as it were, in the fact tha.t 
a single word introduced in the one is omitted in the 
other. If, in the burnt offering, we find the perfect 
readiness of heart with which Christ offered Himself 
for the accomplishment of the will of God ; then, in the 
sin offering, we find how perfectly He entered into all 
the consequences of man's sin, and how He travelled 
into the most remote distance of man's position as re- 
gards God. He delighted to do the will of God ; He 
shrank from losing, for a moment, the light of His blessed 
countenance. No one offering could have foreshadowed 
Him in both these phases. We needed a type to present 
Him to us as One delighting to do the will of God ; and 
we needed a type to present Him to us as One whose 
holy nature shrank from the consequences of imputed sin. 
Blessed be God, we have both. The burnt offering fur- 
nishes the one, the sin offering the other. Wherefore, 
the more fully we enter into the devotion of Christ's 
heart to God, the more fully we shall apprehend His ab- 
horrence of sin ; and vice versa. Each throws the other 
into relief; and the use of the word '' voluntary " in the 



124 LEVITICUS. 

one, and not in the other, fixes the leading import of 
each. 

But, it may be said, *' Was it not the will of God that 
Christ should offer Himself as an atonement for sin? 
And, if so, how could there be aught of shrinking from 
the accomplishment of that will ? " Assuredly, it was 
*' the determinate counsel " of God that Christ should 
suffer ; and, moreover, it was Christ's joy to do the will 
of God. But how are we to understand the expression, 
*' If it be possible, let this cup pass from me? '' Is it 
not the utterance of Christ ? And is there no express 
type of the Utterer thereof? Unquestionably. There 
would be a serious blank among the types of the Mosaic 
economy, were there not one to reflect the Lord Jesus in 
the exact attitude in which the above expression presents 
Him. But the burnt offering does not thus reflect Him. 
There is not a single circumstance connected with that 
offering which would correspond with such language. 
The sin offering alone furnishes the fitting type of the 
Lord Jesus as the One who poured forth those accents 
of intense agony, for in it alone do we find the circum- 
stances which evoked such accents from the depths of 
His spotless soul. The awful shadow of the cross, with 
its shame, its curse, and its exclusion from the light of 
God's countenance, was passing across His spirit, and 
He could not even contemplate it without an '' If it be 
possible, let this cup pass from me." But, no sooner had 
He uttered these words, than His profound subjection 
manifests itself in, '' thy will be done." What a bitter 
** cup " it must have been to elicit, from a perfectly sub- 
ject heart, the words, '^et it pass from me!" What 
perfect subiection there must have been when, in the pre- 



"^ 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 125 

Bence of so bitter a cup, the heart could breathe forth. 

*' thy will be cloue ! '' 

We shall now consider the typical act of ''laying on 
of hands.'' This act was common both to the burnt 
offering and the sin offering; but, in the case of the 
former, it identified the offerer with an unblemished 
offering; in the case of the latter, it involved the transfer 
of the sin of the offerer to the head of the offering. Thus 
it was in the type ; and, when we look at the Antitype, 
we learn a truth of the most comforting and edifying 
nature — a truth which, were it more clearly understood, 
and fully experienced, would impart a far more settled 
peace than is ordinarily possessed. 

What, then, is the doctrine set forth in the laying on 
of hands? It is this: Christ was ''made sin for us, that 
we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 
Cor. V.) He took our position with all its consequences, 
in order that we might get His position with all its con- 
sequences. He was treated as sin, upon the cross, that 
we might be treated as righteousness, in the presence of 
infinite Holiness. He was cast out of God's presence 
because He had sin upon Him, by imputation, that we 
might be received into God's house and into His bosom, 
because we have a perfect righteousness by imputation. 
He had to endure the hiding of God's countenance, 
that we might bask in the light of that countenance. 
He had to pass through three hours' darkness, that we 
might walk in everlasting light. He was forsaken of 
God, for a time, that we might enjoy His presence for 
ever. All that was due to us, as ruined sinners, was 
laid upon Him, in order that all tliat was due to Him, as 
the Aecomplisher of redemption, might be ours. There 



1 26 LEVITICUS. 

was everything against Him when He hung upon the 
j'ursed tree, in order that there might be nothing against 
us. He was identified with us, in the reality of death 
and judgment, in order that we might be identified with 
Him, in the reality of life and righteousness. He drank 
the cup of wrath — the cup of trembling, that we might 
drink the cup of salvation — the cup of infinite favor. 
He was treated according to our deserts, that we might 
le treated according to His. 

Such is the wondrous truth illustrated by the cere- 
monial act of imposition of hands. When the worship- 
per ha-d laid his hand upon the head of the burnt offer- 
mg, it ceased to be a question as to what he was, or 
what he deserved, and became entirely a question of 
what the offering was in the judgment of Jehovah. 
If the offering was without blemish, so was the offerer; 
if the offering was accepted, so was the offerer. They 
were perfectly identified. The act of laying on of hands 
constituted them one, in God's view. He looked at the 
offerer through the medium of the offering. Thus it 
was, in the case of the burnt offering. But, in the sin 
offering, when the offerer had laid his hand upon the 
b-^ad of the offering, it became a question of what the 
offerer was, and what he deserved. The offering was 
treated according to the deserts of the offerer. They 
were perfectly identified. The act of laying on of hands 
constituted them one, in the judgiuent of God. The sin 
of the offerer was dealt with in the sin offering; the 
person of the offerer was accepted in the burnt offering. 
This made a vast difference. Hence, though the act of 
laying on of hands was common to both types, and, 
mo^'oover, though it was expressive, in the case of each 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 127 

of identification, yet were the consequences as different 
as possible. The just treated as the unjust; the unjust 
accepted in the just. ''Christ hath once suffered for 
sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to 
God." This is the doctrine. Our sins brought Christ 
to the cross; but He brings us to God. And, if He 
brings us to God, it is in His own acceptableness, as 
risen from the dead, having put away our sins, accord- 
ing to the perfectness of His own work. He bore away 
our sins far from the sanctuary of God, in order that He 
might bring us nigh, even into the holiest of all, in full 
confidence of heart, having the conscience purged by 
his precious blood from every stain of sin. 

Now, the more minutely we compare all the details of 
the burnt offering and the sin offering, the more clearly 
shall we apprehend the truth of what has been above 
stated, in reference to the laying on of hands, and the 
•results thereof, in each case. 

In the first chapter of this volume, we noticed the 
fact that " the sons of Aaron " are introduced in the 
burnt offering, but not in the sin offering. As priests 
they were privileged to stand around the altar, and 
behold the flame of an acceptable sacrifice ascending to 
the Lord. But in the sin offering, in its primary aspect, 
it was a question of the solemn judgment of sin, and 
not of priestly worship or admiration ; and, therefore, 
the sons of Aaron do not appear. It is as convicted 
sinners that we have to do with Christ, as the Antitype 
of the sin offering. It is as worshipping priests, clothed 
in garments of salvation, that we contemplate Christ, as 
the Antitype o:' the burnt offering. 

But, further, my reader may observe that the burnt 



128 LtriTicus. 

offering was " flayed, '^ the sin offering was not. The 
burnt offering was '' cut into his pieces," the sin offering 

was not. '' The inwardj and the legs " of the burnt 
offering were " washed in water," which act was entirely 
omitted in the sin offering. Lastly, the burnt offering 
was burnt upon the altar, the sin offering was burnt 
without the camp. These are weighty points of differ- 
ence arising .simply out of the distinctive character of 
the offerings. We know there is nothing in the word of 
God without its own specific meaning; and every intelli- 
gent and careful student of Scripture will notice the 
above points of difference; and, when he notices them, 
he will, naturally, seek to ascertain their real import. 
Ignorance of this import there may be ; but indifference 
to it there should not. In any section of inspiration, 
but especially one so rich as that which lies before us, to 
pass over a single point, would be to offer dishonor to 
the Divine Author, and to deprive our own souls of 
much profit. TVe should hang over the most minute 
details, either to adore God's wisdom in them, or to con- 
fess our own ignorance of them. To pass them by, in a 
spirit of indifference, is to imply that the Holy Ghost 
has taken the trouble to write what we do not deem 
worthy of the desire to understand. This is what no 
right-minded Christian would presume to think. If the 
Spirit, in writing upon the ordinance of the sin offering, 
has omitted the various rites above alluded to — rites 
which get a prominent place in the ordinance of the 
burnt offering, there must, assuredly, be some good 
reason for, and some important meaning in, His doing 
60. These we should seek to apprehend ; and, no doubt. 
they arise out of the special design of the divine mind 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 129 

In each offering. The sin offering sets forth that aspect 
of Christ's work in which He is seen taking, judicially, 
the place which belonged to us morally. For this reason 
we could not look for that intense expression of what 
He was, in all His secret springs of action, as unfolded 
in the typical act of ''flaying.'^ Neither could there be 
that enlarged exhibition of what He was, not merely as 
a whole, but in the most minute features of His char- 
acter, as seen in the act of "cutting it into his pieces." 
Nor, yet, could there be that manifestation of what He 
was, personally, practically, and intrinsically, as set 
forth in the significant act of *^ washing the inwards and 
legs in water." 

All these things belonged to the burnt-offering phase 
of our blessed Lord, and to that alone, because, in it, 
we see Him offering Himself to the eye, to the heart, 
and to the altar of Jehovah, without any question of 
imputed sin, of wrath, or of judgment. In the sin offer- 
ing, on the contrary, instead of having, as the great 
prominent idea, what Christ is, we have what sin is. 
Instead of the preciousness of Jesus, we have the odious- 
ness of sin. In the burnt offering, inasmuch as it is 
Christ Himself offered to, and accepted by, God, we 
have every thing done that could possibly make manifest 
what He was, in every respect. In the sin offering, be- 
cause it is sin, as judged by God, the very reverse is the 
case. All this is so plain as to need no effort of the 
mind to understand it. It naturally flows out of the dis- 
tinctive character of the type. 

However, although the leading object in the sin offer- 
ing, is to shadow forth what Christ became for us, and 
I 



130 LEVITICUS 

not what He was in Himself; there is, nevertheless one 
rite connected with this type, which most fully expresses 
His personal acceptableness to Jehovah. This rite is 
laid down in the following words, '' And he shall take 
off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering ; 
the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is 
upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that 
is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above 
the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away, as it 
was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace 
offering ; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar 
of the burnt offering." (Chap. iv. 8—10.) Thus, the 
intrinsic excellency of Christ is not omitted, even in the 
sin-offering. The fat burnt upon the altar is the apt ex- 
pression of the divine appreciation of the preciousness 
of Christ's Person, no matter what place He might, in 
perfect grace, take, on our behalf, or in our stead ; He 
was made sin for us, and the sin offering is the divinely- 
appointed shadow of Him, in this respect. But, inas- 
much as it was the Lord Jesus Christ, God's elect. His 
Holy One, His pure, His spotless. His eternal Son that 
was made sin, therefore the fat of the sin offering was 
burnt upon the altar, as a proper material for that fire 
which was the impressive exhibition of divine holiness. 

But, even in this very point, we see what a contrast 
there is between the sin offering and the burnt offering. 
In the case of the latter, it was not merely the fat, but 
the whole sacrifice that was burnt upon the altar, because 
it was Christ, without any question of sin-bearing what- 
ever. In the case of the former, there was nothing bu^ 
the fat to be burnt upon the altar, because it was ©■ ques' 



CHAPTER IV., ETa 131 

tion of sin-bearing, though Christ was the sin bearer. 
The divine glories of Christ's Person shine out, even 
from amid the darkest shades of that cursed tree to which 
He comsented to be nailed as a curse for us. The hate- 
fulness of that with which, in the exercise of divine love, 
He connected His blessed Person, on the cross, could not 
prevent the sweet odor of His preciousness from ascend- 
ing to the throne of God. Thus, have we unfolded to 
us the profound mystery of God's face hidden from that 
which Christ became, and God's heart refreshed by what 
Christ was. This imparts a peculiar charm to the sin 
offering. The bright beams of Christ's Personal glory 
shining out from amid the awful gloom of Calvary — His 
Personal worth set forth, in the very deepest depths of 
His humiliation — God's delight in the One from whom 
He had, in vindication of His inflexible justice and holi- 
ness, to hide His face — all this is set forth in the fact 
that the fat of the sin offering was burnt upon the altar. 
Having, thus, endeavored to point out, in the first 
place, what was done with "the blood;" and, in the 
second place, what was done with " the fat ;" we have, 
now, to consider what was done with ''the flesh." 

'' And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh 

even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the 
camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, 
and burn him on the wood with fire : where the ashes 
are poured out shall he be burnt." (Ver. 11, 12.) In 
this act, we have the main feature of the sin offering — ■ 
that which distinguished it both from the burnt offering 
and the peace offering. Its flesh was not burnt upon 
the altar, as in the burnt offering ; neither was it eaten 
hj the priest or the worshipper, a? in the peace offering 



132 LEVITICUS. 

It was wholly burnt without the camp.* '' No sin ofifer* 
ing, whereof any of the blood is brought into the taber- 
nacle of the congregation, to reconcile withal in the holy 
place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire." (Lev. 
vi. 30.) ^* For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood 
is brought unto the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, 
are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also 
that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, 
suffered without the gate." (Heb. xiii. 11, 12.) 

Now, in comparing what was done with the " blood " 
with what was done with the '' flesh " or ^^ body ^' of the 
sacrifice, two great branches of truth present themselves 
to our view, namely, worship and discipleship. The 
blood brought into the sanctuary is the foundation of 
the former. The body burnt outside the camp is the 
foundation of the latter. Before ever we can worship, 
in peace of conscience, and liberty of heart, we must 
know, on the authority of the word, and by the powei 
of the Spirit, that the entire question of sin has been 
for ever settled by the blood of the divine sin offering — 
that His blood has been sprinkled, perfectly, before the 
Lord — that all God's claims, and all our necessities, as 
ruined and guilty sinners, have been, for ever, answered. 
This gives perfect peace ; and, in the enjoyment of this 
peace, we worship God. When an Israelite, of old, had 
offered his sin offering, his conscience was set at rest, 
vn so far as the offering was capable of imparting rest. 
True, it was but a temporary rest, being the fruit of a 

* The statement in the text refers only to the sin offerings 
of which the blood was brought into the holy place. There 
were sin offerings of which Aaron and his sons partook. (See 
Lev. vi, 26, 29 ; Numb, xviii. 9, 10.) 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 133 

temporary sacrifice. But, clearly, whatever kind of resi 
the offering was fitted to impart, that the offerer might 
enjoy. Hence, therefore, our Sacrifice being divine and 
eternal, our rest is divine and eternal also. As is the 
sacrifice such is the rest which is founded thereon. A 
Jew never had an eternally purged conscience, simply 
because he had not an eternally eflScacious sacrifice. He 
might in a certain way, have his conscience purged for a 
day, a month, or a year ; but he could not have it purged 
for ever. ^^ But Christ being come, an high priest of 
good things to come, by a greater and more perfect 
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of 
this building ; neither by the blood of goats and calves, 
but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy 
place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the 
blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer 
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of 
the flesh ; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, 
through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot 
to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve 
the living God?" (Heb. ix. 11—14.) 

Here, we have the full, explicit statement of the doc- 
trine. The blood of goats and calves procured a tem- 
porary redemption; the blood of Christ procures eternal 
redemption. The former purified outwardly ; the latter, 
inwardly. That purged the flesh, for a time ; this, the 
conscience, for ever. The whole question hinges, not 
upon the character or condition of the offerer, but upon 
the value of the offering. The question is not, by any 
means, whether a Christian is a better man than a Jew, 
but whether the blood of Christ is better than the blood 
Df a buUo'^k. Assuredly, it is better. How much bet 
12 



134 LEVITICUS. 

ter? Infinitely better. The Son of God imparts all the 
dignity of His own divine Person to the sacrifice which 
He offered ; and, if the blood of a bullock purified the 
flesh for a year, *' how much more " shall the blood of 
the Son of God purge the conscience for ever ? If that 
took away some sin, how much more shall this take 
away^'aZ^?^' 

Now, why was the mind of a Jew set at rest, for the 
time being, when he had offered his sin offering ? How 
did he know that the special sin for which he had 
brought his sacrifice was forgiven ? Because God had 
said, *' it shall be forgiven him." His peace of heart, in 
reference to that particular sin, rested upon the testi- 
mony of the God of Israel, and the blood of the victim. 
So, now, the peace of the believer, in reference to ''all 
SIN," rests upon the authority of God's word, and ''the 
precious blood of Christ." If a Jew had sinned, and 
neglected to bring his sin offering, he should have been 
" cut off from among his people ; " but when he took his 
place as a sinner — when he laid his hand upon the head 
of a sin offering, then, the offering was "cut off" instead 
of him, and he was free, so far. The offering was 
treated as the offerer deserved ; and, hence, for him not 
to know that his sin was forgiven him, would have been 
to make God a liar, and to treat the blood of the divinely- 
appointed sin offering as nothing. 

And, if this were true, in reference to one who had 
only the blood of a goat to rest upon, " how much more " 
powerfully does it apply to one, who has the precious 
blood of Christ to rest upon? The believer sees in 
Christ One who has been judged for all his sin — One 
who, when He hung upon the cross, sustained the entire 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 135 

burden of his sin — One, who, having made Himself 
responsible for that sin, could not be where He now is, 
if the whole question of sin had not been settled, accord- 
ing to all the claims of infinite justice. So absolutely 
did Christ take the believer's place on the cross — so en- 
tirely was he identified with Him — so completely was 
all the believer's sin imputed to Him, there and then, 
^.hat all question of the believer's liability — all thought 
of his guilt— all idea of his exposure to judgment and 
wrath, is eternally set aside.* It was all settled on the 
cursed tree, between Divine Justice and the Spotless 
Victim. And now the believer is as absolutely ide-nti- 
fied with Christ, on the throne, as Christ was identified 
with him on the tree. Justice has no charge to bring 
against the believer, because it has no charge to bring 
against Christ. Thus it stands for ever. If a charge 
Dould be preferred against the believer, it would be call- 
mg in question the reality of Christ's identification with 
him, on the cross, and the perfectness of Christ's work, 
on his behalf If, when the worshipper, of old, was on 
his way back, after having offered his sin offering, any 
one had charged him with that special sin for which his 
sacrifice had bled, what would have been His reply? 
Just this: "the sin has been rolled away, by the blood 
of the victim, and Jehovah has pronounced the words. 



* We have a singularly-beautiful example of the divine 
accuracy of Scripture, in 2 Cor. v. 21. *'He hath made him 
fco be sin {afAa^nay fTratwrev) for US, that we might become 
(y^yaofAiBa) the righteousness of God in him." The English 
reader might suppose that the word which is rendered 
**made" is the same in each clause of the passage. This iA 
aot the case. 



136 LEVITICUS. 

* It shall be forgiven him.' " The victim had died in- 
Btead of him; and he lived instead of the victim. 

Sich was the type. And, as to the Antitype, when 
the eye of faith rests on Christ as the sin offering, it 
beholds Him as One who, having assumed a perfect 
human life, gave up that life on the cross, because sin 
was, there and then, attached to it by imputation. But, 
it beholds Him, also, as One who, having, in Himself, 
the power of divine and eternal life, rose from the tomb 
therein, and who now imparts this, His risen, His 
divine, His eternal life to all who believe in His name. 
The sin is gone, because the life to which it was attached 
is gone. And, now, instead of the life to which sin was 
attached, all true believers possess the life to which 
righteousness attaches. The question of sin can never 
once be raised, in reference to the risen and victorious 
life of Christ ; but this is the life which believers possess. 
There is no other life. All beside is death, because all 
beside is under the power of sin. ''He that hath the 
Son hath life ; " aud he that hath life, hath righteousness 
also. The two things are inseparable, because Christ is 
both the one and the other. If the judgment and death 
of Christ, upon the cross, were realities, then, the life 
and righteousness of the believer are realities. If im- 
puted sin was a reality to Christ, imputed righteousness 
s a reality to the believer. The one is as real as the 
other; for, if not, Christ would have died in vain. The 
true and irrefragable ground of peace is this — that the 
claims of God's nature have been perfectly met, as to 
sin. The death of Jesus has satisfied them all — satis- 
fied them for ever. What is it that proves this to the 
satisfaction of the awakened conscience ? The gr^ 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 131 

fact of resurrection. A risen Christ declares the full 
deliverance of the believer — his perfect discharge from 
every possible demand. '' He was delivered for our 
offences, and raised again for our justification." (Rom. 
iv. 25.) For a Christian not to know that his sin is 
gone, and gone for ever, is to cast a slight upon the 
blood of his divine sin offering. It is to deny that there 
has been the perfect presentation — ^the sevenfold sprink- 
ling of the blood before the Lord. 

And now, ere turning from this fundamental point 
which has been occupying us, I would desire to make an 
earnest and a most solemn appeal to my reader's heart 
and conscience. Let me ask you, dear friend, have you 
been led to repose on this holy and happy foundation ? 
Do you know that the question of your sin has been 
for ever disposed of? Have you laid your hand, by 
faith, on the head of the sin offering ? Have you seen 
the atoning blood of Jesus rolling away all your guilt, 
and carrying it into the mighty waters of God's forget- 
fulness ? Has Divine Justice anything against you ? 
Are you free from the unutterable horrors of a guilty 
conscience? Do not, I pray you, rest satisfied until 
you can give a joyous answer to these inquiries. Be 
assured of it, it is the happy privilege of the feeblest 
babe in (Christ to rejoice in a full and everlasting remis- 
sion of sins, on the ground of a finished atonement ; 
and, hence, for any to teach otherwise, is to lower the 
sacrifice of Christ to the level of "goats and calves." 
If we cannot know that our sins are forgiven, then, 
where are th^ glad tidings of the gospel? Is a Christian 
in no wise better off, in the matter of a sin offering, 
than a Jew ? The htter was privileged to know tha* 



138 LEVITICtJg. 

his matters were set straight for a year, by the blood of 
an annual sacrifice. Can the former not have any cer- 
tainty at all ? Unquestionably. Well, then, if there is 
any certainty, it must be eternal, inasmuch as it rests 
on an eternal sacrifice. 

This, and this alone, is the basis of worship. The 
full assurance of sin put away, ministers, not to a spirit 
of self-confidence, but to a spirit of praise, thankfulness, 
and worship. It produces, not a spirit of self-compla- 
cency, but of Christ-complacency, which, blessed be 
God, is the spirit which shall characterize the redeemed 
throughout eternity. It does not lead one to think little 
of sin, but to think much of the grace which has per- 
fectly pardoned it, and of the blood which has perfectly 
cancelled it. It is impossible that any one can gaze on 
the cross — can see the place which Christ took — can 
meditate upon the sufferings which He endured — can 
ponder on those three terrible hours of darkness, and, at 
the same time, think lightly of sin. When all these 
things are entered into, in the power of the Holy Ghost, 
there are two results which must follow, namely, an ab- 
horrence of sin, in all its forms, and a genuine love to 
Christ, His people, and His cause. 

Let us now consider what was done with the '' flesh " 
9r '' body '^ of the sacrifice, in which, as has been stated, 
we have the true ground of discipleship. ''The whole 
bullock shall he carry forth, without the camp, unto a 
clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn 
him on the wood with fire." (Chap. iv. 12.) This act 
is to be viewed in a double way ; first, as expressing the 
place which the Lord Jesus took for us, as bearing sin ; 
secondly, as expressing the place into which He was 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 139 

east, by a world which had rejected Him. It is to this 
latter point that I would here call my reader's attention. 
The use which the apostle, in Heb. xiii., makes of 
Christ's having *' suffered without the gate/' is deeply 
practical. " Let us go forth, therefore, unto Mm, with- 
out the camp, hearing his reproach.''^ If the sufferings 
of Christ have secured us an entrance into heaven, the 
place where He suffered expresses our rejection from 
earth. His death has procured us a city on high ; the 
plaoe where He died divests us of a city below.* " He 
suffered without the gate," and, in so doing, He set 
aside Jerusalem as the present centre of divine opera- 
tion There is no such thing, now, as a consecrated 
spot on the earth. Christ has taken His place, as a 
suffering One, outside the range of this world's religion 
— its politics, and all that pertains to it. The world 
hated Him, and cast Him out. Wherefore, the word 
is, ''(/o forth.^^ This is the motto, as regards every 
thing tnat men would set up here, in the form of a 
^'camp,'^ no matter what that camp may be. If men 
set up ** a holy city," you must look for a rejected 
Christ ''without the gate." If men set up a religious 
camp, call it by what name you please, you must ^' go 

* The Epistle to the Ephesians furnishes the most elevated 
v^iew of the Church's place above, and gives it to us, not 
merely as to the title, but also as to the mode. The title is, 
assuredly, the blood ; but the mode is thus stated : " But God, 
who is rich in mercy, for his great love, wherewith he loved 
us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened ua 
together with Christ (by grace ye are saved) ; and hath raised 
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places i» 
Christ Jesus." fEph. ii. 4—6.) 



140 LSVITIGUS. 

forth " out of it, in order to find a rejected Christ. It 
is not that blind superstition will not grope amid the 
ruins of Jerusalem, in search of relics of Christ. It 
assuredly will do so, and has done so. It will affect to 
find out, and do honor to, the site of His cross, and 
to His sepulchre. Nature's covetousness, too, taking 
advantage of nature's superstition, has carried on, fot 
ages, a lucrative traffic, under the crafty plea of doing 
honor to the so-called sacred localities of antiquity. 
But a single ray of light from Revelation's heavenly 
lamp, is sufficient to enable us to say that you must 
*' go forth " of all these things, in order to find and enjoy 
communion with a rejected Christ. 

However, my reader will need to remember that there 
is far more involved in the soul-stirring call to *'go 
forth," than a mere escape from the gross absurdities of 
an ignorant superstition, or the designs of a crafty 
covetousness. There are many who can, powerfully 
and eloquently, expose all such things, who are very 
far indeed from any thought of responding to the apos- 
tolic summons. When men set up a '' camp," and rally 
round a standard on which is emblazoned some important 
dogma of truth, or some valuable institution — when they 
can appeal to an orthodox creed — an advanced and en- 
lightened scheme of doctrine — a splendid ritual, capable 
of satisfying the most ardent aspirations of man's de- 
votional nature — when any or all of these things exist, 
it demands much spiritual intelligence to discern the real 
force and proper application of the words, " let us go 
forth," and much spiritual energy and decision to act 
upon them. They should, however, be discerned and 
•cted u| on, for it is perfectly certain that the atmosphere 



CHAPTER IV., ETC. 141 

of a camp, let its ground or standard be what it may, is 
destructive of personal communion with a rejected 
Christ; and no so-called religious advantage can ever 
make up for the loss of that communion. It is the ten- 
dency of our hearts to drop into cold stereotyped forms. 
This has ever been the case in the professing church. 
These forms may have originated in real power. They 
may have resulted from positive visitations of the Spirit 
of God. The temptation is to stereotype the form when 
the spirit and power have all departed. This is, in prin- 
ciple, to set up a camp. The Jewish system could boast 
a divine origin. A Jew could triumphantly point to the 
temple, with its splendid system of worship, its priest- 
hood, its sacrifices, its entire furniture, and show that it 
had all been handed down from the God of Israel. He 
could give chapter and verse, as we say, for every thing 
connected with the system to which he was attached. 
Where is the system, ancient, mediaeval, or modern, that 
could put forth such lofty and powerful pretensions, or 
come down upon the heart with such an overwhelming 
weight of authority ? And yet, the command was to 

''GO FORTH." 

This is a deeply solemn matter. It concerns us all, 
because we are all prone to slip away from communion 
with a living Christ and sink into dead routine. Hence 
the practical power of the words, '' go forth therefore 
unto Mm." It is not. Go forth from one system to 
another — from one set of opinions to another — from one 
company of people to another. No : but go forth from 
everything that merits the appellation of a camp, '* to 
him " who '' suffered without the gate." The Lord Jesus 
5s as thoroughly outside the gate now, as He was when 



142 LEVITICUS. 

He suffered there eighteen centuries ago. What "w as it 
that put Him outside ? '' The religious world " of that 
day; and the religious world of that day is, in spirit and 
principle, the religious world of the present moment 
The world is the world still. '' There is nothing new 
under the sun." Christ and the world are not one. The 
«vorld has covered itself with the cloak of Christianity ; 
but it is only in order that its hatred to Christ may work 
itself up into more deadly forms underneath. Let us 
not deceive ourselves. If we will walk with a rejected 
Christ, we must be a rejected people. If our Master 
''suffered without the gate," we cannot expect to reign 
within the gate. If we walk in His footsteps, whither 
will they lead us ? Surely, not to the high places of this 
Godless, Christless world. 

*'His path, uncheered by earthly smiles. 
Led only to the cross." 

He is a despised Christ — a rejected Christ — a Christ 
outside the camp. Oh ! then, dear christian reader, let 
us go forth to Him, bearing His reproach. Let us not 
bask in the sunshine of this world's favor, seeing it 
crucified, and still hates, with an unmitigated hatred, 
the beloved One to whom we owe our present and 
eternal all, and who loves us with a love which many 
waters cannot quench. Let us not, directly or indirectly, 
accredit that thing which calls itself by His sacred name, 
but, in reality, hates His Person, hates His ways, hates 
His truth, hates the bare mention of His advent. Lei 
us be faithful to an absent Lord. Let us live for Him 
who died for us. While our consciences repose in His 
blood, let our heart's affections entwine themselves around 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 143 

His Person ; so that our separation from * this present 
evil world " may not be merely a matter of cold principle, 
bat an affectionate separation, because the object of our 
affections is not here. May the Lord deliver us from 
the influence of that consecrated, prudential selfishness, 
so common at the present time, which would not be 
without religiousness, but is the enemy of the cross of 
Christ. What we want, in order to make a successful 
stand against this terrible form of evil, is not peculiar 
views, or special principles, or curious theories, or cole 
intellectual accuracy. We want a deep-toned devoted- 
ness to the Person of the Son of God ; a whole-hearted 
consecration of ourselves, body, soul, and spirit, to His 
service; an earnest longing for His glorious ajivent. 
These, my reader, are the special wants of the times in 
which you and I live. Will you not, then, join in utter- 
ing, from the very depths of your heart, the cry, ^' 
Lord, revive thy work!'' — ''accomplish the number of 
thine elect 1" — ''hasten thy kingdom!" — "Come, Lord 
Jesus, come quickly !" 



CHAPTER V. 14— VI. T. 

These verses contain the doctrine of the trespass offer* 
mg, of which there were two distinct kinds, namely, 
trespass against God, and trespass against vian. " If a 
Boul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, m 
the holy things of the Lord, then shall he bring for his 
trespass unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the 



144 LEVITICUS. 

flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the 
shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering." Here 
we have a case in which a positive wrong was done, in 
the holy things which pertained unto the Lord ; and. 
albeit this was done '' through ignorance," yet could it 
not be passed over. God can forgive all manner of tres- 
pass, but he cannot pass over a single jot or tittle. His 
grace is perfect, and therefore He can forgive all. His 
holiness is perfect, and therefore He cannot pass over 
anything. He cannot sanction iniquity, but He can blot 
it out, and that, moreover, according to the perfection of 
His grace, and according to the perfect claims of His 
holiness. 

It is a very grave error to suppose that, provided a 
man acts up :o the dictates of his conscience, he is all 
right and safe. The peace which re^ts upon such a 
foundation as this will be eternally destroyed when the 
light of the judgment-seat shines in upon the conscience. 
God could never lower His claim to such a level. The 
balances of the sanctuary are regulated by a very differ- 
ent scale from that afforded by the most sensitive con- 
science. We have had occasion to dwell upon this point 
before, in the notes on the sin offering. It cannot be too 
strongly insisted upon. There are two things involved 
in it. First, a just perception of what the holiness of 
God really is ; and, secondly, a clear sense of the ground 
of a believer's peace, in the divine presence. 

Whether it be a question of my condition or my con- 
duct, my nature or my acts, God alone can be the Judge 
of what suits Himself, and of what befits His holy pres- 
ence. Can human ignorance furnish a plea, when divine 
requirements are in question? God forbid. A wrong 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 145 

has been done " in the holy things of tb^ Lord ;" but 
man's conscience has not taken cognizance of it. What 
tlien ? Is there to be nothing more about it ? Are the 
claims of God to be thus lightly disposed of? Assuredly 
not. This would be subversive of every thing like di- 
vine relationship. The righteous are called to give 
thanks at the remembrance of God's holiness. (Psalm 
xcvii. 12.) How can they do this? Because their peace 
has been secured on the ground of the full vindication 
and perfect establishment of that holiness. Hence, the 
higher their sense of what that holiness is, the deeper 
and more settled must be their peace. This is a truth 
of the most precious nature. The unregenerate man 
could never rejoice in the divine holiness. His aim would 
be to lower that holiness, if he could not ignore it al- 
together. Such an one will console himself with the 
thought that God is good, God is gracious, God is mer- 
ciful ; but you will never find him rejoicing in the thought 
that God is holy. He has unholy thoughts respecting 
God's goodness, His grace, and His mercy. He would 
fain find in those blessed attributes, an excuse for his 
continuing in sin. 

On the contrary, the renewed man exults in the holi- 
ness of God. He sees the full expression thereof in the 
cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that holiness 
which has laid the foundation of his peace; and, n<i>t 
only so, but he is made a partaker of it, and he delights 
in It, while he hates sin with a perfect hatred. The in- 
stincts of the divine nature shrink from it, and long after 
holiness. It would be impossible to enjoy true peace 
and liberty of heart, if one did not know that all the 
claims connected with " the holy things of the Lord '' 
13 J 

t 



146 LEviTictrs. 

had been perfectly met by our divine Trespass Ofifering 
There would ever be, springing up in the heart, the 
painful sense that those claims had been slighted, through 
our manifold infirmities and shortcomings. Our very 
best services, our holiest seasons, our most hallowed 
exercises, may present something of trespass ''in the 
holy things of the Lord " — '' something that ought not 
to be done." How often are our seasons of public wor- 
ship and private devotion infringed upon and marred by 
barrenness and distraction ! Hence it is that we need 
the assurance that our trespasses have all been divinely 
met by the precious blood of Christ. Thus, in the ever 
blessed Lord Jesus, we find One who has come down to 
the full measure of our necessities as sinners by nature, 
and trespassers in act. We find in Him the perfect 
answer to all the cravings of a guilty conscience, and to 
all the claims of infinite holiness, in reference to all our 
sins and all our trespasses; so that the believer can 
stand, with an uncondemning conscience and emanci- 
pated heart, in the full light of that holiness which is too 
pure to behold iniquity or look upon sin. 

'* And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath 
done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part 
thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall 
make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass 
offering, and it shall be forgiven him." (Chap. v. 16.) 
In the addition of '' the fifth part," as here set forth, we 
have a feature of the true Trespass Offering, which, it is 
to be feared, is but little appreciated. When we think 
of all the wrong and all the trespass which we have done 
against the Lord ; and, further, when we remember how 
God has been wronged of His rights in this wicke<? 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 147 

world, with what interest can we contemplate the work 
of the cross as that wherein God has not merely re- 
ceived back what was lost, but whereby He is an actual 
gainer. He has gained more by redemption than evei 
He lost by the fall. He reaps a richer harvest of glory, 
honor, and praise, in the fields of redemption, than ever 
He could have reaped from those of creation. *' The 
sons of God " could raise a loftier song of praise around 
the empty tomb of Jesus than ever they raised in view 
of the Creator's accomplished work. The wrong has 
not only been perfectly atoned for, but' an eternal advan- 
tage has been gained, by the work of the cross. This is 
a stupendous truth. God is a gainer by the work of 
Calvary. Who could have conceived this ? When we 
behold man, and the creation of which he was lord, laid 
in ruins at the feet of the enemy, how could we con- 
ceive that, from amid those ruins, God should gather 
richer and nobler spoils than any which our unfallen 
world could have yielded? Blessed be the name of 
Jesus for all this I It is to Him we owe it all. It is by 
His precious cross that ever a truth so amazing, so 
divine, could be enunciated. Assuredly, that cross in- 
volves a mysterious wisdom ''which none of the princes 
of this world knew ; for had they known it, they would 
not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Cor. ii. 8.) No 
marvel, therefore, that round that cross, and round Him 
who was crucified thereon, the affections of patriarchs, 
prophets, apostles, martyrs, and saints, have ever en- 
twined themselves. No marvel that the Holy Ghost 
should have given forth that solemn but just decree, ''If 
aiiy man love not our Lor.i Jesus Christ, let him be 
Anathema Maranatha." (1 Cor. xvi. 22.) Heaven and 



148 LEVITICUS. 

earth shall echo forth a loud and an eternal amen :o this 
anathema. No marvel that it should be the fixed and 
immutable purpose of the divine mind, that ''at the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in 
heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth ; 
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ 
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'^ (Phil. ii. 10, 11.) 
The same law in reference to "the fifth part" obtained 
in the case of a trespass committed against a man, as we 
read, ''If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the 
Lord,^ and lie unto his neighbor in that which was de- 
livered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken 
away by violence, or have deceived his neighbor, or 
have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, 
and sw^eareth falsely ; in any of all these that a man 
doeth, sinning therein : then it shall be, because he hath 
sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which 
he took violently away, or the thing which he hath de- 
ceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to 
keep, or the lost thing which he found, or all that about 
which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in 
the principal, and shall add the fifth part mrre thereto ^ 



* There is a fine principle involved in the expression, 
"against the Lord." Although the matter in question was a 
wrong done to one's neighbor, yet the Lord looked upon it as 
a trespass against Himself. Everything must be viewed in 
reference to the Lord. It matters not who may be aftected, 
Jehovah must get the first place. Thus, when David's con- 
science was pierced by the arrow of conviction, in reference 
to his treatment of Uriah, he exclaims, *^I have sinned 
against the Lord,'''' (2 Sam. xii. 13.) This principle does not^ 
in the least, interfere with the injuied man's claim. 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 149 

nad give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day 
of his trespass offering." (Chap. vi. 2 — 5.) 

Man, as well as God, is a positive gainer by the 
cross. The believer can say, as he gazes upon that 
cross, ^' Well, it matters not how I have been wronged, 
how I have been trespassed against, how I have been 
deceived, what ills have been done to me, I am a gainer 
by the cross. I hav^e not merely received back all that 
was lost, but much more beside." 

Thus, whether we think of the injured, or the injurer, 
in. any given case, we are equally struck with the glorious 
triumphs of redemption, and the mighty practical results 
which flow from that gospel which fills the soul with the 
happy assurance, that ^k&ll trespasses " are " forgiven," 
and that the root from whence those trespasses have 
sprung, has been judged. " The gospel of the glory of 
the blessed God " is that which alone can send forth a 
man into the midst of a scene which has been the wit- 
ness of his sins, his trespasses, and his injurious ways — 
can send him back to all who, in anywise, have been 
sufferers by his evil doings, furnished with grace, not 
only to repair the wrongs, but, far more, to allow the full 
tide of practical benevolence to flow forth in all his ways, 
yea, to love his enemies, to do good to them that hate 
him, and to pray for them that despitefully use him and 
persecute him. Such is the precious grace of God, that 
acts in connection with our great Trespass Offering — 
such are its rich, rare, and refresh *Dg fruits ! 

What a triumphant answer to the caviller who could 
say, '' shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound ? ^ 
Grace not merely cuts up sin by the roots, but trans- 
forms the sinne^' from a curse into a blessing; from « 



150 LEVITICUB. 

moral plague, into a channel of divine mercy; from nn 
emissary of Satan, into a messenger of God; from a 
child of darkness, into a son of the light ; from a self- 
indulgent pleasure-hunter, into a self-denying lover of 
God; from a slave of vile, selfish lusts, into a willing- 
hearted servant of Christ; from a cold, narrow-hearted 
miser, into a benevolent minister to the need of his fellow- 
man. Away, then, with the oft-repeated taunts, '' Are 
we to do nothing ? '' — " That is a marvellously easy way 
to be saved " — '' According to this gospel we may live 
as we list." Let all who utter such language behold 
yonder thief transformed into a liberal donor, and let 
them be silent for ever. (See Eph. iv. 28.) They know 
not what grace means. They have never felt its sancti- 
fying and elevating influences. They forget that, while 
the blood o^ ^he trespass offering cleanses the conscience, 
the law of *hat offering sends the trespasser back to the 
one whom he has wronged, with ^'the principal" and 
" the fifth " in his hand. Is'oble testimony this, both to 
the grace and righteousness of the God of Israel ! Beau- 
teous exhibition of the results of that marvellous scheme 
of redemption, whereby the injurer is forgiven, and the 
injured becomes an actual gainer ! If the conscience 
has been set to rights, by the blood of the cross, in re- 
ference to the claims of God, the conduct must be set to 
rights, by the holiness of the cross, in reference to the 
claims of practical righteousness. These things must 
never be separated. God has joined them together, and 
let not man put them asunder. The hallowed union will 
never be dissolved by any mind which is governed by 
pure gospel morality. Alas! it is easy to profess the 
piin'^iples of grace, while the practice and power thereof 



CHAPTER v., ETC 151 

»re completely denied. It is easy to talk of resting in 
the blood of the trespass offering, while " the principal " 
and " the fifth " are not forthcoming. This is vain, and 
worse than rain. " He that doeth not righteousness is 
not of God.'' (1 John iii. 10.) 

Nothing can be more dishonoring to the pure grace of 
the gospel than the supposition that a man may belong 
to God, while his conduct and character exhibit not the 
fair traces of practical holiness. *' Known unto God are 
all his works," no doubt ; but He has given us, in His 
holy word, those evidences by which we can discern 
those that belong to Him. " The foundation of God 
standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them 
that are his : and. Let every one that nameth the name 
of Christ depart from iniquity." (2 Tim. ii. 19.) We 
have no right to suppose that an evildoer belongs to God. 
The holy instincts of the divine nature are shocked by 
the mention of such a thing. People sometimes express 
much diflBculty in accounting for such and such evil 
practices on the part of those whom they cannot help re- 
garding in the light of Christians. The word of God 
settles the matter so clearly and so authoritatively, as to 
leave no possible ground for any such diflBculty. " In 
this the children of God are manifest, and the children 
of the devil : whosoever doeth not righteousness is not 
of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." It is 
well to remember this, in this day of laxity and self- 
indulgence. There is a fearful amount of easy, un- 
influential profession abroad, against which the genuine 
Christian is called upon to make a firm stand, and bear a 
severe testimony—a testimony resulting from the steady 
exhibition of ** tbe fruits of righteousness which are by 



1 52 LEVITICUS. 

Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God." It iv 
most deplorable to see so many going along the beaten 
path — the well-trodden highway of religious profession, 
and yet manifesting not a trace of love or holiness in 
their conduct. Christian reader, let us be faithful. Let 
us rebuke, by a life of self-denial and genuine benevolence, 
the self-indulgence and culpable inactivity of evangelical 
yet worldly profession. May God grant unto all His 
true-hearted people abundant grace for these things ! 

Let us now proceed to compare the two classes of 
trespass offering; namely, the offering on account of 
trespass ''in the holy things of the Lord," and that 
which had reference to a trespass committed in the 
common transactions and relations of human life. In 
so doing, we shall find one or two points which demand 
our attentive consideration. 

And, first, the expression, ''if a soul sin through 
ignorance," which occurs in the former, is omitted in 
the latter. The reason of this is obvious. The claims 
which stand connected with the holy things of the 
Lord, must pass, infinitely, beyond the reach of the 

most elevated human sensibilitv. Those claims mav 

«/ */ 

be, continually, interfered with — continually trespassed 
upon, and the trespasser not be aware of the fact. Man's 
consciousness can never be the regulator in the sanctuary 
of God. This is an unspeakable mercy. God's holiness 
alone must fix the standard, when God's rights are in 
question. 

On the other hand, the human conscience can readily 
grasp the full amount of a human claim, and can readily 
take cognizance of any interference with such claim. 
Ho^v oft-^n may we have wronged God, in His holy 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 15% 

things, without ever taking a note of it in the tablet of 
conscience — yea, without having the competency to 
detect it. (See Mai. iii. 8.) Not so, however, when 
man's rights are in question. The wrong which the 
human eye can see, and the human heart feel, the human 
conscience can take notice of. A man, '* through igno- 
rance " of the laws which governed the sanctuary of 
old, might commit a trespass against those laws, with- 
out being aware of it, until a higher light had shone in 
upon his conscience. But a man could not, ^'through 
ignorance," tell a lie, swear falsely, commit an act of 
violence, deceive his neighbor, or find a lost thing and 
deny it. These were all plain and palpable acts, lying 
within the range of the most sluggish sensibility. 
Hence it is that the expression, ''through ignorance" 
is introduced, in reference to " the holy things of the 
Lord," and omitted, in reference to the common affairs 
of men. How blessed it is to know that the precious 
blood of Christ has settled all questions whether with 
respect to God or man — our sins of ignorance or our 
known sins ! Here lies the deep and settled foundation 
of the believer's peace. The cross has divinely met 
ALL. 

Again, when it was a question of trespass ''in the 
holy things of the Lord," the unblemished sacrifice was 
first introduced; and, afterward, "the principal" and 
"the fifth." This order was reversed when it was a 
question of the common affairs of life. (Comp. chap. v. 
15, 16 with chap. vi. 4 — T.) The reason of this is 
equally obvious. When the divine rights were infringed, 
the blood of atonement was made the great prominent 
matter. Whereas, when human rights were inte^rfic^red 



154 LEVITICUS. 

with, restitution would naturally assume the leading 
place in the mind. But, inasmuch as the latter involved 
the question of the souPs relation with God, as well as 
the former, therefore the sacrifice is introduced, though 
it be last in order. If I wrong my fellovr man, that 
wrong will, judoubtedly, interfere with my communion 
with God; and that communion can only be restored 
on the ground of atonement. Mere restitution would 
not avail. It might satisfy the injured man, but it 
could not form the basis of restored communion with 
God. I might restore ''the principal" and add ''the 
fifth," ten thousand times over, and yet my sin remain, 
for ''without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. 
Ix. 22.) Still, if it be a question of injury done to my 
neighbor, then restitution must first be made. " If thou 
bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that 
thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy 
gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled 
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Matt. 
V. 23, 24.)* 

There is far more involved in the divine order pre- 
scribed in the trespass offering, than might, at first sight, 
appear. The claims which arise out of our human rela- 
tions must not be disregarded. They must ever get 

* From a comparison of Matt. v. 23, 24 with Matt, xviii. 21, 
22, we may learn a fine principle, as to the way in which 
wrongs and injuries are to be settled between two brothers. 
The injurer is sent back from the altar, in order to have his 
matters set straight with the injured one ; for there can be no 
communion with the Father so long as my brother '*hatb 
aught against me." But, then, mark the beauteous way in 
<vhich tJ^a 'njured one is taught to receive the injiuor. *' Lord, 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 165 

iLeir pr jper place in the heart. This is distinctly taught 
in the trespass oflaring. When an Israelite had, by an 
act of trespass, deranged his relation with Jehovah the 
order was, sacrifice and restitution. When he had, by 
an act of trespass, deranged his relation with his neigh, 
bor, the order was, restitution and sacrifice. Will any 
one undertake to say this is a distinction without a differ- 
ence ? Does the change of the order not convey its own 
appropriate, because divinely-appointed, lesson? Un- 
questionably. Every point is pregnant with meaning, 
if we will but allow the Holy Ghost to convey that 
meaning to our hearts, and not seek to grasp it by the 
aid of our poor vain imaginings. Each offering conveys 
its own characteristic view of the Lord Jesus, and His 
work; and each is presented in its own characteristic 
order; and we may safely say, it is, at once, the business 
and the delipjht of the spiritual mind to apprehend both 
the one and the other. The very same character of 
mind which would seek to make nothing of the peculiar 
order of 'each offering, would also set aside the idea 
of a peculiar phase of Christ in each. It would deny 
the existence of any difference between the burnt offer- 
ing and the sin offering; and between the sin offering 
and the trespass offering; and between any or all of 
these and the meat offering or the peace offering. Hence, 

iow oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? 
till seven times ? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, 
until seven times ; but, until seventy times seven.'' ^ Such is the 
divine mode of settling all questions between brethren. 
•* Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any 
man have a quarrel against any : even as Christ forgave you* 
BO also do ▼e.'' (Col. iii, 13.) 



156 LEVITICUS. 

it would follow that the first seven chapters of the Book 
of Leviticus are all a vain repetition, each successive 
chapter going over the same thing. Who could cede 
aught so monstrous as this? What Christian mind 
could suffer such an insult to be offered to the sacred 
page? A German rationalist or neologian may put 
forth such vain and detestable notions ; but those who 
have been divinely taught that '' all scripture is given by 
inspiration of God/' will be led to regard the various 
types, in their specific order, as so many variously- 
shaped caskets, in which the Holy Ghost has treasured 
up, for the people of God, ^' the unsearchable riches of 
Christ." There is no tedious repetition, no redundancy. 
All is rich, divine, heavenly variety ; and all we need is 
to be personally acquainted with the great Antitype, in 
order to enter into the beauties and seize the delicate 
touches of each type. Directly the heart lays hold of 
the fact that it is Christ we have, in each type, it can 
hang, with spiritual interest, over the most minute de- 
tails. It sees meaning and beauty in everything — it 
finds Christ in all. As, in the kingdom of nature, the 
telescope and the microscope present to the eye their 
own special wonders, so with the word of God. Whether 
we look at it as a whole, or scrutinize each clause, we 
find that which elicits the worship and thanksgiving of 
our hearts. 

Christian reader, may the name of the Lord Jesus 
ever be more precious to our hearts ! Then shall we 
value everything that speaks of Him — everything that 
Bets Him forth — everything affording a fresh insight inta 
His peculiar excellency and matchless beauty. 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 151 

Note. — The remainder of chap, vi., together with the 
whole of chap, vii., is occupied with the law of the 
various offerings to which reference has already been 
made. There are, however, some points presented in 
the law of the sin offering and the trespass offering 
which may be noticed ere we leave this copious section 
of our book. 

In none of the offerings is Christ's personal holiness 
more strikingly presented than in the sin offering. 
** Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the 
law of the sin offering : in the place where the burnt 
offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before 

the Lord: it is most holy Whatsoever shall 

touch the flesh thereof shall be holy All the 

males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most 
holy.^^ (Chap. vi. 25 — 29.) So also in speaking of the 
meat offering, '' it is most holy, as is the sin offering^ 
and as the trespass offering." This is most marked and 
striking. The Holy Ghost did not need to guard with 
such jealousy, the personal holiness of Christ in the burnt 
offering ; but lest the soul should, by any means, lose 
sight of that holiness, while contemplating the place which 
the Blessed One took in the sin offering, we are, again 
and again, reminded of it by the words, '' it is most holy.'' 
Truly edifying and refreshing it is to behold the divine 
and essential holiness of the Person of Christ shining 
forth in the midst of Calvary's profound and awful gloom. 
The same point is observable in ''the law of the trespass 
offering." (See chap. vii. 1, 6.) Never was the Lord 
Jesus more fully seen to be '' the Holy One of God " than 
when He was " made sin " upon the cursed tree. The 
vileness and blackness of that with which He stood 
U 



158 LEVITICUS. 

identified on the cross, only served to show out mor€ 
clearly that He was '' most holy." Though a sin-bearer, 
He was sinless. Though enduring the wrath of Gody 
He was the Father's delight. Though deprived of the 
light of God^s countenance, He dwelt in the Father^s 
bosom. Precious mystery I Who can sound its mighty 
depths ? jJow wonderful to find it so accurately shadowed 
forth in ''the law of the sin offering." 

Again, my reader should seek to apprehend the mean- 
ing of the expression, '' all the males among the priests 
shall eat thereof" The ceremonial act of eating the sin 
offering, or the trespass offering, was exj^ressive of full 
identification. But, to eat the sin offering — to make 
another's sin one's own, demanded a higher degree of 
priestly energy, such as was expressed in ''the males 
among the priests." " And the Lord spake unto Aaron, 
Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave 
offerings, of all the hallowed things of the children of 
Israel ; unto thee have I given them by reason of the 
anointing, and to thy sonSy by an ordinance for ever. 
This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from 
the fire : every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of 
theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every tres- 
pass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, 
shall be most holy for thee and for t?iy sons. In the 
most holy place shalt thou eat it ; every male shall eat 
it : it shall be holy unto thee. And this is thine ; the 
heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings 
of the children of Israel : I have given them unto thee, 
and to thy sons, and to thy daughters with thee, by a 
statute for ever: everyone that is clean in thy Iiouse 
shall eat of it." (Numb, xviii. 8 — 11.) 



CHAPTER v., ETC. 159 

It demamied a larger measure of priestly energy ta 
ea^ of the sin or trespass offering, than merely to partake 
of the heave and wave offerings of gift. The '' daughters^ 
of Aaron could eat of the latter. None but the '* sons '^ 
could eat of the former. In general, '' the male," ex- 
presses a thing according to tho divine idea ; " the fe- 
male," according to human development. The former 
gives you the thing in full energy ; the latter, in ite im- 
perfection. How few of us have sufficient priestly energy 
tO' enable us to make another's sin or trespass our own I 
The blessed Lord Jesus did this perfectly. He made 
His people's sins His own, and bore the judgment there- 
of, on the cross. He fully identified Himself with us, 
so that we may know, in full and blessed certainty, that 
the whole question of sin and trespass has been divinely 
settled. If Christ's identification was perfect, then, the 
settlement was perfect, likewise; and that it was per- 
fect, the scene enacted at Calvary declares. All is ac- 
complished. The sin, the trespasses, the claims of God, 
the claims of man — all have been eternally settled ; and, 
now, perfect peace is the portion of all who, by grace, 
accept as true the record of God. It is as simple as God 
could make it, and the soul that believes it is made 
happy. The peace and happiness of the believer depend 
wholly upon the perfection of Christ's sacrifice. It is 
not a question of his mode of receiving it, his thoughts 
about it, or his feelings respecting it. It is simply a 
question of his crediting, by faith, the testimony of God, 
as to the value of the sacrifice. The Lord be praised fof 
His own simple and perfect way of peace I May many 
troubled souls be led by the Holy Spirit into an under* 
standing thereof I 



I lO LEVITICUS. 

Wo 8«iiaA here close our meditations upon one of the 
richest sections in the whole canon of inspiration. It 
is but MMle we have been enabled to glean from it. We 
have hardly penetrated below the surface of an exhaust- 
less mine. If, however, the reader has, for the first 
time, been led to view the offerings as so many varied 
exhibitions of the great Sacrifice, and if he is led to cast 
himself at the feet of the great Teacher, to learn more of 
the living depths of these things, I cannot but feel that 
an end has been gained for which we may well feel 
deeply thankful. 



CHAPTERS VIII., IX. 

Having considered the doctrine of sacrifice, as ur- 
folded in the first seven chapters of this book, we now 
approach the subject of priesthood. The two subjects 
are intimately connected. The sinner needs a sacrifice ; 
the believer needs a priest. We have both the one and 
the other in Christ, who, having offered Himself, without 
spot, to God, entered upon the sphere of His priestly 
ministry, in the sanctuary above. We need no other 
sacrifice, no other priest. Jesus is divinely sufficient. 
He imparts the dignity and worth of His own Person to 
every office He sustains, and to every work He performs. 
When we see Him as a sacrifice, we know that we have 
in Him all that a perfect sacrifice could be; and, when 
we see Him as a priest, we know that every function of 



CHAPTER VIII., IX. 161 

th^ priesthood is perfectly discharged by Him. As a 
sacrifice, He introduces His people into a settled rela- 
tionship with God ; and, as a priest, He maintains them 
therein, according to the perfectness of what He is. 
Priesthood is designed for those who already stand in a 
certain relationship with God. As sinners, by nature 
ana by practice, we are ''brought nigh to God by the 
blood of the cross." We are brought into an estab- 
lished relationship with Him. We stand before Him 
as the fruit of His own work. He has put away our 
sins, in such a manner as suits Himself, so that we 
might be before Him, to the praise of His name, as the 
exhibition of what He can accomplish through the power 
of death and resurrection. 

But, though so fully delivered from every thing that 
could be against us; though so perfectly accepted in 
the Beloved ; though so complete in Christ ; though so 
highly exalted, yet are we, in ourselves, while down 
here, poor feeble creatures, ever prone to wander, ready 
to stumble, exposed to manifold temptations, trials, and 
snares. As such, we need the ceaseless ministry of 
our '' Great High Priest," whose very presence, in the 
sanctuary above, maintains us, in the full integrity of 
that place and relationship in which, through grace, we 
stand. ''He ever liveth to make intercession for us." 
(Heb. vii. 25.) We could not stand, for a moment, 
down here, if He were not living for us, up there. 
"Because I live, ye shall live also." (John xiv. 19.) 
*' For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to 
God by the death of his Son, much more, being recon- 
ciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Rem. v. 10.) The 
"death" and the "life" are inseparably connected, in 

K 



162 LEVITICUS. 

the economy of grace. But, be it observed, the life 
comes after the death. It is Christ's life as risen from 
the dead and .not His life down here, that the apostle 
refers to, in the last-quoted passage. This distinction 
is eminently worthy of my reader's attention. The life 
of our blessed Lord Jesus, while down here, was, I need 
hardly remark, infiniteh^ precious ; but He did not enter 
upon His sphere of priestly service until He had accom- 
plished the work of redemption. Nor could He have 
done so, inasmuch as " it is evident that our Lord sprang 
out of Juda ; of which tribe Moses spake nothing con- 
cerning priesthood." (Heb. vii. 14.) ^*For every high 
priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices : wherefore 
it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to 
offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, 
seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according 
to the law." (Heb. viii. 3, 4.) '' But Christ being come 
an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and 
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is 
to say, not of this building ; neither by the blood of 
goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in 
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal re- 
demption For Christ is not entered into the holy 

places made with hands, which are the figures of the 
true ; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the pre- 
sence of God for us." (Heb. ix. 11, 12, 24.) 

Heaven, not earth, is the sphere of Christ's priestly 
ministry; and on that sphere He entered when He 
had offered Himself without spot to God. He never 
appeared as a priest in the temple below. He ofttimes 
went up to the temple to teach, but never to sacrifice or 
burn incense. There never was qvt one ordained of 



CHAPTER VIII., IX. 163 

God to discharge the functions of the priestly office on 
earth, save Aaron and his sons. *' If he were on earth, 
he should not be a priest." This is a point of much 
interest and value, in connection with the doctrine ov 
priesthood. Heaven is the sphere, and accomplished 
redemption the basis, of Christ's priesthood. S^ve in 
the sense that all believers are priests, (1 Pet. ii. 6), 
there is no such thing as a priest upon earth. Unless 
a man can show his descent from Aaron, unless he can 
trace his pedigree up to that ancient source, he has nc 
right to exercise the priestly office. Apostolic succes- 
sion itself, could it be proved, would be of no possible 
value here, inasmuch as the Apostles themselves were 
not priests, save in the sense above referred to. The 
feeblest member of the household of faith is as much a 
priest as the Apostle Peter himself. He is a spiritual 
priest ; he worships in a spiritual temple ; he stands at 
a spiritual altar; he offers a spiritual sacrifice; he ia 
clad in spiritual vestments. " Ye also, as lively stones, 
are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to 
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus 
Christ." (1 Peter ii. 5.) "By him, therefore, let us 
offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, 
the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. But to 
do good and to communicate forget not, for with such 
sacrifices God is well pleased." (Heb. xiii. 15, 16.) 

If one of the direct descendants of the house of 
Aaron were converted to Christ, he would enter upon 
an entirely new character and ground of priestly service. 
And be it observed, that the passages just quoted pre- 
sent the two great classes of spiritual sacrifice which 
the spiritual priest is privileged to offer. There is the 



164 LEVITICUS. 

Bacrifice of praise to God, and the sacriSce of bene» 
volenee to man. There is a double stream continually 
going forth from the believer who is living in the 
realization of his priestly place — a stream of grateful 
praise ascending to the throne of God, and a stream of 
active benevolence flowing; forth to a needv world. The 
spiritual priest stands with one hand lifted up to God, in 
the presentation of the incense of grateful praise ; and 
the other opened wide to minister, in genuine beneficence, 
to every form of human need. Were these things more 
distinctly apprehended, what hallowed elevation, and 
what moral grace, would they not impart to the chris- 
tian character ! Elevation, inasmuch as the heart would 
ever be lifted up to the infinite Source of all that is 
capable of elevating — moral grace, inasmuch as the heart 
would ever be kept open to all demands upon its sym- 
pathies. The two things are inseparable. Immediate 
occupation of heart with God must, of necessity, elevate 
and enlarge. But, on the other hand, if one walks at a 
distance from God, the heart will become grovelling and 
contracted. Intimacy of communion with God — the 
habitual realization of our priestly dignity, is the only 
effectual remedy for the downward and selfish tendencies 
of the old nature. 

Having said thus much on the subject of priesthood 
in general, both as to its primary and secondary aspects, 
we shall proceed to examine the contents of the eighth 
and ninth chapters of the Book of Leviticus. 

'* And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron 
and his sons with him, and the garments, and the aiDoint- 
ing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, 
and a basket of unleavened bread ; and gather thou aU 



CHAPTER Vni., IX. 165 

the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle 
of the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord com- 
manded him; and the assembly was gathered together 
unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." 
There is special grace unfolded here. The whole assem- 
bly is convened at the door of the tabernacle of the 
congregation, in order that all might have the privilege 
of beholding the one who was about to be entrusted 
with the charge of their most important interests. In 
the 28th and 29th of Exodus we are taught the same 
general truth with respect to the vestments and sacri- 
fices connected with the priestly oiBce ; but, in Leviticus, 
the congregation is introduced, and allowed to look on at 
every movement in the solemn and impressive service of 
consecration. The humblest member of the assembly 
had his own place. Bach one, the lowest as well as the 
highest, was permitted to gaze upon the person of the 
high priest, upon the sacrifice which he offered, and 
upon the robes which he wore. Each one had his own 
peculiar need, and the God of Israel would have each to 
see and know that his need was fully provided for by 
the varied qualifications of the high priest who stood 
before him. Of these qualifications the priestly robea 
were the apt typical expression. I]ach portion of the 
dress was designed and adapted to set forth some special 
qualification in which the assembly a^s a whole, and each 
individual member, would, of necessity, be deeply in- 
terested. The coat, the girdle, the robe, the ephod, the 
breastplate, the Urim and the Thummim, the mitre, tho 
holy crown — all told out the varied virtues, quahdcatioub, 
and finctions of the one who was to represent ihe coa^ 
gregation and maintain the interests thereof in the div\>^ 
presence. 



166 LEVITICUS. 

Thus it is the believer can, with the eye of faith, behold 
his great High Priest, in the heavens, and see in Him 
the divine realities of which the Aaronic vestments 
were but the shadows. The Lord Jesus Christ is the 
holy One, the anointed One, the mitred One, the girded 
One. He is all these, not in virtue of outward gar- 
ments to be put on or off, but in virtue of the divine and 
eternal graces of His Person, the changeless efficacy of 
His work, and the imperishable virtue of His sacred 
offices. This is the special value of studying the types 
of the Mosaic economy. The enlightened eye sees 
Christ in all. The blood of the sacrifice and the robe of 
the high priest both point to Him — both were designed 
of God to set Him forth. If it be a question of con- 
science, the blood of the sacrifice meets it, according to 
the just claims of the sanctuary. Grace has met the 
demand of holiness. And, then, if it be a question of 
the need connected with the believer's position down 
here, he can see it all divinely answered in the official 
robes of the high priest. 

And, here, let me say, there are two ways in which 
to contemplate the believer's position — two ways in 
which that position is presented in the word, which 
must be taken into account ere the true idea of priest- 
hood can be intelligently laid hold of The believer is 
represented as being part of a body of which Christ is 
the Head. This body, with Christ its Head, is spoken 
of as forming one man, complete, in every respect. It 
was quickened with Christ, raised with Christ, and 
seated with Christ, in the heavens. It is one with Him, 
complete in Him, accepted in Him, possessing His life, 
and standing in His favor, before God. All trespasses 



CHAPTER Yin., IX. let 

are blotted out. There is no spot. All is fair and 
lovely beneath the eye of God. (See 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13; 
Bph. ii. 5—10; Col. ii. 6—15; 1 John iv. 17.) 

Then, again, the believer is contemplated as in the 
place of need, weakness, and dependence, down here, in 
this world. He is ever exposed to temptation, prone to 
wander, liable to stumble and fall. As such, he, con- 
tinually, stands in need of the perfect sympathy and 
powerful ministrations of the High Priest, who ever 
appears in the presence of God, in the full value of His 
Person and work, and who represents the believer and 
maintains His cause before the throne. 

Now my reader should ponder both these aspects of 
the believer, in order that he may see, not only what a 
highly exalted and privileged place he occupies with 
Christ on high, but also what ample provision there is; 
for him, in reference to his every need and weakness, 
here below. Th'is distinction might, further, be devel- 
oped, in this way. The believer is represented as being 
of the Church, and in the kingdom. As the former, 
heaven is his place, his home, his portion, the seat of his 
affections. As the latter, he is on earth,- in the place of 
trial, responsibility, and conflict. Hence, therefore, 
priesthood is a divine provision for those who, though 
being of the Church, and belonging to heaven, are, 
nevertheless, in the kingdom, and walking on the earth. 
This distinction is a very simple one, and, when appre- 
hended, explains a vast number of passages of Scripture 
in which many minds encounter considerable difficulty.* 



♦ A comparison of the Epistle to the Ephesi.ins with the 
First Epistle of Peter will furnish the reader with much 



168 LEVITICUS, 

In looking into the contents of the chapters which lie 
open before us, we may remark three thin<^s put promi- 
nently forward, namely, the authority of the word, the 
value of the blood, the power of the Spirit. These are 
weighty matters — matters of unspeakable impoitance — 
matters which must be regarded, by every Christian, as, 
unquestionably, vital and fundamental. 

And, first, as to the authority of the word, it is of the 
deepest interest to see that, in the consecration of the 
priests, as well as in the entire range of the sacrifices, 
we are brought immediately under the authority of the 
word of God. '^ And Moses said unto the congregation, 
This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be 
done." (Chap. viii. 6.) And, again, "Moses said, This 
is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should 
do : and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you.^^ 
(Chap. ix. 6.) Let these words sink down into our 
ears. Let them be carefully and prayerfully pondered. 
They are priceless words. " Tliis is the thing which the 
Lord commanded." He did not say, " This is the thing 
which is expedient, agreeable, or suitable." Neither did 
He say, '' Thi^is the thing which has been arranged by 
the voice of the fathers, the decree of the elders, or the 
opinion of the doctors." Moses knew nothing of such 
sources of authority. To him there was one, holy, 
levated, paramount source of authority, and that was, 
the word of Jehovah, and he would bring every member 
of the assembly into direct contact with that blessed 

valuable instruction in reference to the double aspect of the 
believer's position. The former shows him as seated in 
heaven ; the letter, as a pilgrim and a sufferer, on earth. 



CHAPTER vin., IX. *" 169 

source. This gave assurance to the heart, and fixedness 
to all the thoughts. There was no room left for tradi« 
tion, with its uncertain sound, or for man, with his 
doubtful disputations. All was clear, conclusive, and 
authoritative. Jehovah had spoken; and all that war 
needed was to hear what He had said, and obey 
Neither tradition nor expediency has any place in th^ 
heart that has learnt to prize, to reverence, and to obey 
the word of God. 

And what was to be the result of this strict adherence 
to the word of God ? A truly blessed result, indeed. 
*' The glory of the Lord shall appear unto you." Had 
the word been disregarded, the glory would not have 
appeared. The two things were intimately connected. 
The slightest deviation from "thus saith Jehovah" would 
have prevented the beams of the divine glory from ap- 
pearing to the congregation of Israel. Had there been 
the introduction of a single rite or ceremony not enjoined 
by the w^ord, or had there been the omission of aught 
which that word commanded, Jehovah would not have 
manifested His glory. He could not sanction by the 
glory of His presence the neglect or rejection of His 
word. He can bear with ignorance and infirmity, but 
He cannot sanction neglect or disobedience. 

Oh! that all this were more solemnlv considered, in 
' this day of tradition and expediency. I would, in earnest 
affection, and in the deep sen^e of personal responsibility 
to my reader, exhort him to give diligent heed to the 
importance of close — I had almost said severe — adher- 
ence and reverent subjection to the word of God. Let 
him try everything by that standard, and reject all that 
comes not up to it ; let him weigh everything in thai 
15 



170 LEVIflOtJS. 

balance, and cast aside all that is not full weight ; let 
him measure everything by that rule, and refuse all de- 
viation. If I could only be the means of awakening one 
soul to a proper sense of the place which belongs to the 
word of God, I should feel I had not written my book 
for nought or in vain 

Reader, pause, and, in the presence of the Searcher 
of hearts, ask yourself this plain, pointed question, '^ Am 
I sanctioning by my presence, or adopting in my prac- 
tice, any departure from, or neglect of, the word of 
God?" Make this a solemn, personal matter before the 
Lord. Be assured of it, it is of the very deepest moment, 
the very last importance. If you find that you have 
been, in any wise, connected with, or involved in, aught 
that wears not the distinct stamp of divine sanction, re- 
ject it at once and for ever. Yes, reject it, though ar- 
rayed in the imposing vestments of antiquity, accredited 
by the voice of tradition, and putting forward the almost 
irresistible plea of expediency. If you cannot say, in 
reference to everything with which you stand connected, 
*'this is the thing which the Lord hath commanded,^' 
then away with it unhesitatingly, away with it for ever. 
Remember these words, ^'As he hath done this day, so 
the Lord hath commanded to do." Yes, remember the 
*^as" and the ''so;" see that you are connecting them 
in your ways and associations, and let them never be 
separated. 

'' So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord 
commanded by the hand of Moses." (Chap. viii. 36.) 
" And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the 
congregation, and came out, and blessed the people : and 
the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And 



CHAPTER VIII., IX 111 

there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed 
upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat : which, 
when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their 
faces." (Chap. ix. 23, 24.) Here we have an ''eighth 
day " scene — a scene of resurrection-glory. Aaron, hav- 
ing offered the sacrifice, lifted up his hands in priestly 
benediction upon the people ; and then Moses and Aaron 
retire into the tabernacle, and disappear, while the whole 
assembly is seen in waiting outside. Finally, Moses 
and Aaron, representing Christ in His double character 
as Priest and King, come forth, and bless the people ; 
the glory appears in all its splendor, the fire consumes 
the sacrifice, and the entire congregation falls prostrate 
in worship before the presence of the Lord of all the 
earth. 

Now, all this was literally enacted at the consecration 
of Aaron and his sons. And, moreover, all this was the 
result of strict adherence to the word of Jehovah. But, 
ere I turn from this branch of the subject, let me remind 
the reader, that all that these chapters contain is but '^ a 
shadow of good things to come." This, indeed, holds 
good in reference to the entire Mosaic economy. (Heb. 
X. 1.) Aaron and his sons, together, represent Christ 
and His priestly house. Aaron alone represents Christ 
in His sacrificial and intercessory functions. Moses and 
Aaron, together, represent Christ as King and Priest 
" The eighth day " represents the day of resurrection- 
t^lory, when the congregation of Israel shall see the 
Messiah, seated as a Royal Priest upoD His throne, and 
when the glory of Jehovah shall fill tto whole earth, as 
the waters cover the sea. These sublime truths are 
largely unfolded in the word, they glitter like gems of 



172 LEVITICUS. 

celestial brilliancy, all along the inspired page; but, lest 
they should, to any reader, wear the suspicious aspect 
of novelty, I shall refer him to the following direct scrip- 
ture proofs ; viz., Num. xiv. 21 ; Isa. ix. 6, 7 ; xi. ; xxv. 6 — 
12 ; xxxii. 1,2; xxxv. ; xxxvii. 31, 32 ; xl. 1 — 5 ; liv. ; lix 
16 — 21; Ix. — Ixvi. ; passim. Jer. xxiii. 5 — 8; xxx. 10— 
24; xxxiii. 6- -22; Ez. xlviii. 35; Dan. vii. 13, 14; Hoa 
xiv. 4—9 ; Zeph. iii. 14—20 ; Zech. iii. 8— .0 ; vi. 12, 
13 ; xiv. 

Let us, now, consider the second point presented in 
our section, namely, the ef&cacy of the blood. This is 
unfolded with great fulness, and put forward in great 
prominence. Whether we contemplate the doctrine of 
sacrifice or the doctrine of priesthood, we find the shed- 
ding of blood gets the same important place. ^' And he 
brought the bullock for the sin offering ; and Aaron and 
his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock 
for the sin offering. And he slew it ; and Moses took 
the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round 
about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured 
the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, 
to make reconciliation upon it." (Chap. viii. 14, 15.) 
*' And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and 
Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of 
the ram. And he killed it ; and Moses sprinkled the 
blood upon the altar round about.'' (Yer. 18, 19.) *' And 
he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration ; and 
Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of 
the ram. And he slew it ; and Moses took of the blood 
of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and 
upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great 
toe of his right 1 lot. And he brought Aaron's sons, and 



CHAPTER VIII., IX. 173 

Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, 
and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the 
great toes of their right feet : and Moses sprinkled the 
blood upon the altar round about." (Yer. 22 — 24.) 

The import of the various sacrifices has been, in some 
degree, developed in the opening chapters of this volume ; 
but the passages just quoted serve to show the promi- 
nent place which the blood occupies in the consecration 
of the priests. A blood-stained ear was needed to 
hearken to the dieine communications; a blood-stained 
hand was needed to execute the services of the sanc- 
tuary ; and a blood-stained foot was needed to tread the 
courts of the Lord's house. All this is perfect in its 
way. The shedding of blood was the grand foundation 
of all sacrifice for sin ; and it stood connected with all 
the vessels of the ministry, and with all the functions 
of the priesthood. Throughout the entire range of 
Levitical service, we observe the value, the efi&cacy, the 
power, and the wide application of the blood. '* Almost 
all things are by the law purged with blood.'' (Heb. ix. 
§2.) Christ has entered, by His own blood, into heaven 
Itself. He appears on the throne of the majesty in the 
heavens, in the value of all that He has accomplished 
on the cross. His presence on the throne attests the 
worth and acceptableness of His atoning blood. He is 
there /or us. Blessed assurance ! He ever liveth. He 
never changeth ; and we are in Him, and as He is. He 
presents us to the Father, in His own eternal perfect- 
ness ; and the Father delights in us, as thus presented, 
even as He delights in the One who presents us. This 
identifi nation is typically set forth in *' Aaron and his 
Bons " laying their hands upon the head of each of th^ 



174 LEVITICUS. 

sacrifices. They all stood before God, in the value of th* 
same sacrifice. Whether it were the " bullock for the 
sin ofiering/' ''the ram for the burnt offering/' or "the 
ram of consecration," they jointly laid their hands on 
all. True, Aaron alone was anointed before the blood 
was shed. He was clad in his robes of office, and 
anointed with the holy oil, before ever his sons were 
clothed or anointed. The reason of this is obvious. 
Aaron, when spoken of by himself, typifies Christ in 
His own peerless excellency and dignity; and, as w^e 
know, Christ appeared in all His own personal worth 
and was anointed by the Holy Ghost, previous to the 
accomplishment of His atoning work. In all things 
He has the pre-eminence. (Col. i.) Still, there is the 
fullest identification, afterwards, between Aaron and his 
sons, as there is the fullest identification between Christ 
and His people. " The sanctifier and the sanctified are 
all of one." (Heb. ii.) The personal distinctness en- 
hances the value of the mystic oneness. 

This truth of the distinctness and yet oneness of the 
Head aud members leads us, naturally, to our third 
and last point, namely, the power of the Spirit. We 
may remark how much takes place between the anoint- 
ing of Aaron and the anointing of his sons with him. 
The blood is shed, the fat consumed on the altar, and 
the breast waved before the Lord. In other words, the 
sacrifice is perfected, the sweet odor thereof ascends to 
God, and the One who offered it ascends in the power 
of resurrection, and takes His place on high All this 
comes in between the anointing of the Head and the 
anointing of the members. Let us quote and compare 
the passages. First, as to Aaron alone, we read, '' And 



CHAPTER Vm., IX. 175 

he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the 
girdle, an4 clothed him with the robe, and put the 
ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious 
girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. 
And he put the breastplate upon him: also, he put in 
the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. And he 
put the mitre upon his head : and upon the mitre, even 
upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the hoi) 
crown ; as the Lord commanded Moses. And Moses 
took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and 
all that was therein, and sanctified them. And he 
sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and 
anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver 
and his foot, to sanctify them. And he poured of the 
anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to 
sanctify him." (Chap. viii. 7 — 12.) 

Here we have Aaron presented alone. The anointing 
oil is poured upon his head, and that, too, in immediate 
connection with the anointing of all the vessels of the 
tabernacle. The whole assembly was permitted to be- 
hold the high priest clothed in his official robes, mitred 
and anointed ; and not only so, but as each garment was 
put on, as xTtu.^ act was performed, as each ceremony 
was enacted, it was seen to be immediately founded upon 
the authority of the word. There was nothing vague, 
nothing arbitrary, nothing imaginative. All was divinely 
stable. The need of the congregation was fully met, 
and met in such a way as that it could be said, '' This is 
the thing which Jehovah commanded to be done." 

Now, in Aaron anointed, alone, previous to the shed- 
ding of the blood, we have a type of Christ who, until 
He offered Himself upon the cross, stood entirely alone. 



176 LEVITICUS. 

TLere could be no union between Him and His people, 
save on the ground of death and resurrection. This 
all-important truth has already been 'eferred to, and, 
in some measure, developed in connection with the sub- 
ject of sacrifice ; but it adds force and interest to it to 
see it so distinctly presented in connection with the 
question of priesthood. Without shedding of blood 
there was no remission — the sacrifice was not com- 
pleted. So, also, without shedding of blood Aaron and 
his sons could not be anointed together. Let the reader 
note this fact. Let him be assured of it, it is worthy of 
his deepest attention. We must ever beware of passing 
lightly over any circumstance in the Levitical economy. 
Every thing has its own specific voice and meaning; 
and the One who designed and developed the order can 
expound to the heart and understanding what that order 
means. 

'' And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the 
blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon 
Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and 
upon his sons' garments with him ; and sanctified Aaron, 
and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments 
with him.^^ (Chap. viii. 30.) Why were not Aaron's 
sons anointed with him at verse 12 ? Simply because 
the blood had not been shed. When " the blood " and 
** the oil " could be connected together, then Aaron and 
his sons could be " anointed " and '' sanctified " together ; 
but not until then. "And for their sakes I sanctify 
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the 
truth." (John xvii. 19.) The reader who could lightly 
pass over so marked a circumstance, or say it meant 
nothing, has yet to learn to value aright the types of 



CHAPTER VIII., IX. 177 

the Old Testament Scriptures — "the shadows of good 
things to come." And, on the other hand, the one who 
admits that it does mean something, bat yet refuses to 
inquire and understand what that something is, is doing 
serious damage to his own soul, and manifesting but 
little interest in the precious oracles of God. 

"And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil 
the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congrega- 
tion; and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket 
of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and 
his sons shall eat it. And that which remaineth of the 
flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. And ye 
shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the 
congregation in seven days, until the days of your con- 
secration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate 
you. As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath com- 
manded to do, to make an atonement for you. There- 
fore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the 
congregation day and night seven days, and keep the 
charge of the Lord, that ye die not : for so I am com- 
manded." (Yer. 31 — 35.) These verses furnish a fine 
type of Christ and His people feeding together upon the 
results of accomplished atonement. Aaron and his sons, 
having been anointed together, on the ground of the shed 
blood, are here presented to our view as shut in within 
the precincts of the tabernacle during " seven days." A 
striking figure of the present position of Christ and His 
members, during the entire of this dispensation, shut in 
with God, and waiting for the manifestation of the glory. 
Blessed position ! Blessed portion ! Blessed hope ! 
To be associated with Christ, shut in with God, waiting 
for the day of glory, and, while waiting for the glory, 



nS LEVITICUS 

feeding upon the riches of divine grace, in the power of 
holiness, are blessings of the most precious nature, privt 
leges of the very highest order. Oh ! for a capacity to 
take them in, a heart to enjoy them, a deeper sense of 
their magnitude. May our hearts be withdrawn from 
all that pertains to this present evil world, so that we 
may feed upon the contents of '' the basket of consecra- 
tions," which is our proper food as priests in the sanc- 
tuary of God. 

" And it came to pass on the eighth day^ that Moses 
called Aaron, and his sons, and the elders of Israel, 
And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a 
sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without 
blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And unto the 
children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying. Take ye a 
kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, 
both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offer- 
ing; also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sac- 
rifice before the Lord; and a meat offering mingled with 
oil; for to-day the Lord will appear unto you." 
(Chap. ix. 1—4.) 

The ''seven days" being over, during which Aa.ron 
and his sons were shut in in the retirement of the taber- 
nacle, the whole congregation is now introdaeed, and the 
glory of Jehovah unfolds itself. This gives great com- 
pleteness to the whole scene. The shadows of good 
things to come are here passing before us, in their divine 
order. ''The eighth day" is a shadow of that bright 
millennial morning which is about to dawn upon this 
earth, when the congregation of Israel shall behold the 
True Priest coming forth from the sanctuary, where He 
is now, hidden from the eyes of men, and with Him a 



CHAPTER VIII., IX. 179 

company of priests, the companions of His retirement, 
and the happy participators of His manifested glory. In 
short, nothing, as a type or shadow, could be more com- 
plete. In the first place, Aaron and His sons washed 
with water — a type of Christ and His people, as viewed 
in God's eternal decree, sanctified together, in purpose. 
(Chap. viii. 6 ) Then we have the mode and order in 
which this purpose was to be carried out. Aaron, in 
solitude, is robed and anointed — a type of Christ as 
sanctified and sent into the world, and anointed by the 
Holy Ghost. (Ver. 7—12; comp. Luke iii. 21, 22; John 
X. 36; xii. 24.) Then, we have the presentation and 
acceptance of the sacrifice, in virtue of which Aaron and 
his sons were anointed and sanctified together, (ver. 14 
— 29,) a type of the cross, in its application to those who 
now constitute Christ's priestly household, who are 
united to Him, anointed with Him, hidden with Him, 
and expecting with Him "the eighth day," when He 
with them shall be manifested in all the brightness of 
that glory which belongs to Him in the eternal purpose 
of God. (John xiv. 19 ; Acts ii. 33 ; xix. 1—7; Col. iii. 1 
— 4.) Finally, we have Israel brought into the full 
enjoyment of the results of accomplished atonement. 
They are gathered before the Lord : " And Aaron lifted 
up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and 
'came down from offering of the sin offering, and the 
burnt offering, and peace offerings." (See chap. ix. 1 — 
22.) 

What, now, we may legitimately enquire, remains to 
be done ? Simply that the topstone should be brought 
forth with shoutings of victory and hymns of praise. 
"And Moses and Aaron -w^^nt into the tabernacle of tht! 



ISO LEVITICUS 

congregation, and came out, and blessed the people : and 
the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. 
And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and 
consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat : 
which when all the people saw, THEY SHOUTED, 
AND FELL ON THEIR FACES." (Ver. 23, 24.) 
This was the shout of victory — ^the prostration of wor- 
•Bhip. All was complete. The sacrifice — the robed and 
mitred priest — the priestly family associated with their 
Head — the priestly benediction — ^the appearance of the 
King* and Priest — in short, nothing was lacking, and 
therefore the divine glory appeared, and the whole as- 
sembly fell prostrate, in adoring worship. It is, alto- 
gether, a truly magnificent scene — a marvellously beau- 
tiful shadow of good things to come. And, be it 
remembered, that all which is here shadowed forth will, 
ere long, be fully actualized. Our great High Priest 
has passed into the heavens, in the full value and power 
of accomplished ??tonement. He is hidden there, now 
and, with Him, all the members of His priestly family ; 
but when the '' seven days " have run their course, and 
" the eighth day " casts its beams upon the earth, then 
shall the remnant of Israel — a repentant and an ex- 
pectant people — hail, with a shout of victory, the mani- 
fested presence of the Royal Priest ; and, in immediate 
association with Him, shall be seen a company of wor- 
Bhippers occupying the most exalted position. These 
are ''the good things to come'' — things, surely, well 
worth w^aiting for — things worthy of God to give- 
things in which He shall be eternally glorified, and His 
people eternally blessed. 



OHAPTEB X 181 



CHAPTER X 

The page of human history has ever been a sadly 
blotted one. It is a record of failure, from first to last. 
Amid all the delights of Eden, man hearkened to the 
tempter's lie. (Gen. iii.) When preserved from judg- 
ment, by the hand of electing love, and introduced into 
a restored earth, he was guilty of the sin of intemper- 
ance. (Gen. ix.) When conducted by Jehovah's out- 
stretched arm, into the land of Canaan, he ^' forsook the 
Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth." (Judges ii. 13.) 
When placed at the very summit of earthly power and 
glory, with untold wealth at his feet, and all the resources 
of the world at his command, he gave his heart to the 
uncircumcised stranger. (1 Kings xi.) No sooner had 
the blessings of the gospel been promulgated than it 
became needful for the Holy Ghost to prophesy concern- 
ing ''grievous wolves," ''apostacy," a,nd all manner of 
failure. (Acts xx. 29, 1 Tim. iv. 1—3 ; 2 Tim. iii. 1—5; 
2 Peter ii. ; Jude.) And, to crown all, we have the pro- 
phetic record of human apostacy from amid all the splen- 
dors of millennial glory. (Rev. xx. 1 — 10.) 

Thus, man spoils everything. Place him in a position 
of highest dignity, and he will degrade himself. Endow 
him with the most ample privileges, and he will abuse 
them. Scatter blessings around him, in richest profu- 
sion, and he will prove ungrateful. Place him in the 
midst of the most impressive institutions, and 1 a will 
corrupt them. Such is manl Such is nature in its 
18 



182 LEVITICUa * 

fairest forms, and under the most favorable circum- 
stances I 

Hence, therefore, we are, in a measure, prepared for 
the words with which our chapter opens. *' And Nadab 
and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of ihem his 
censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, 
and offered strange fire before the Lord which he com- 
manded them not." What a contrast to the scene with 
which our last section closed! There all was done '*as 
the Lord commanded," and the result was, manifested 
glory. Here something is done ''which the Lord 
commanded them not," and the result is judgment. 
Hardly had the echo of the shout of victory died away 
ere the elements of a spurious worship were prepared. 
Hardly had the divine position been assumed ere it was 
deliberately abandoned, through neglect of the divine 
commandment. No sooner were those priests inaugur- 
ated, than they grievously failed in the discharge of their 
priestly functions. 

And in what did their failure consist ? Were they 
spurious priests ? Were they mere pretenders ? By no 
means. They were genuine sons of Aaron — true mem- 
bers of the priestly family — duly appointed priests. 
Their vessels of ministry and their priestly garments, 
too, would seem to have been all right. What, then, 
was their sin? Did they stain the curtains of the 
tabernacle with human blood, or pollute the sacred 
preciacts with some crime which shocks the moral 
sense? We have no proof of their having done so. 
Their sin was this : " They offered strange fire before 
the Lord which he commanded them not." Here was 
their sin. They departed in their worship from the 



CHAPTER X. 183 

plain word of Jehovah, who had fully and plainly 
mstrur».ted them as to the mode of their worship. We 
have already alluded to the divine fulness and sufficiency 
of the word of the Lord, in reference to every branch of 
priestly service. There was no room left for man to 
introduce what he might deem desirable or expedient. 
''This is the thing which the Lord ho.th commanded" 
was quite sufficient. It made all very plain and very 
simple. Nothmg was needed, on man's part, save a 
spirit of implicit obedience to the divine command. 
But, herein, they failed. Man has always proved him- 
self ill-disposed to walk in the narrow path of strict ad- 
herence to the plain word of God. The by-path has ever 
seemed to present resistless charms to the poor human 
heart. " Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in 
secret is pleasant." (Prov. ix. 17.) Such is the enemy's 
language ; but the lowly, obedient heart knows full well 
that the path of subjection to the word of God is the 
only one that leads to " waters " that are really " sweet," 
or to "bread" that can rightly be called "pleasant." 
Nadab and Abihu might have deemed one kind of " fire " 
as good as another ; but it was not their province to de- 
cide as to that. They should have acted according to 
the word of the Lord ; but, instead of this, they took 
their own way, and reaped the awful fruits thereof " He 
knoweth not that the dead are there ; and that her guests 
are in the depths of hell." 

" And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured 
them ; and they died before the Lord." How deeply 
solemn! Jehovah was dwelling in the midst of His 
people, to govern, to judge, and to act, according to the 
claims Qf His nature. At the close of chapter ix. we 



184 LEVITICUS. 

read, ''And there came a fire out from before the Lord, 
and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the 
fat." This was Jehovah's acceptance of a true sacri- 
fice. But, in chapter x. it is His judgment upon erring 
priests. It is a double action of the same fire. The 
Durnt offering went up as a sweet odor ; the " strange 
fire " was rejected as an abomination. The Lord was 
glorified in the former ; but it would have been a dis- 
honor to accept the latter. Divine grace accepted 
and delighted in that which was a type of Christ's 
most precious sacrifice ; divine holiness rejected that 
which was the fruit of man's corrupt will — a will never 
more hideous and abominable than when active in the 
things of God. 

" Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the 
Lord spake, saving, I will be sanctified in them that 
come nigh me, and before all the people 1 will be glori- 
fied." The dignity and glory of the entire economy 
depended upon the strict maintenance of Jehovah's 
righteous claims. If these were to be trifled with, all 
was forfeited. If man were permitted to defile the 
sanctuary of the divine presence by '' strange fire," 
there was an end to everything. Nothing could be 
permitted to ascend from the priestly censer but the 
pure fire, kindled from off the altar of God, and fed by 
the ''pure incense beaten small." Beauteous type of 
true saintly worship, of which the Father is the object, 
Christ the material, and the Holy Ghost the power. 
Man must not be allowed to introduce his devices intc 
the worship of God. All his efforts can only issue in 
the presentation of "strange fire" — unhallowed incense 



CHAPTEK X. 185 

— false worship. His very best attempts are an absolute 
abomination in the sight of God. 

I speak not here, of the honest struggles of earnest 
spirits searching after peace with God — of the sincere 
efforts of upright, though unenlightened, consciences, to 
attain to a knowledge of the forgiveness of sins, by 
works of law or the ordinances of systematic religion. 
All such will, doubtless, issue, through the exceeding 
goodness of God, in the clear light of a known and an 
enjoyed salvation. They prove, very clearly, that peace 
is earnestly sought; though, at the same time, they 
prove, just as clearly, that peace has not yet been found. 
There never yet was one, who honestly followed the 
faintest glimmerings of light which fell upon his under- 
standing, who did not, in due time, receive more. " To 
him that hath shall more be given." And again, '' TLe 
path of the just is as the shining light, which shinelh 
more and more unto the perfect day." 

All this is as plain as it is encouraging; but it leaves 
wholly untouched the question of the human will, and 
its impious workings in connection with the service and 
worship of God. All such workings must, inevitably, 
call down, sooner or later, the solemn judgment of a 
righteous God who cannot suffer His claims to be trifled 
with. '* I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, 
and before all the people I will be glorified." Men will 
be dealt with according to their profession. If men are 
honestly seeking, they will, assuredly, find ; but, when 
men approach as worshippers, they are no longer to be 
regarded as seekers, but as those who profess to have 
found; and, then, if their priestly censer smokes with 
unhallowed fire, if they offer unto God the elements of a 



186 LEVITICUa 

spurious worship, if they profess to tread His courts, 
unwashed, unsanetified, unsubdued, if they place on His 
altar the workings of their own corrupt will, what must 
be the result ? Judgment ! Yes, sooner or later, judg- 
ment must come. It may linger ; but it will come. It 
could not be otherwise. And not only must judgment 
come, at last ; but there is, in every case, the immediate 
rejection, on the part of Heaven, of all worship which 
has not the Father for its object, Christ for its material, 
and the Holy Ghost for its power. God's holiness is as 
quick to reject all '* strange fire " as His grace is ready 
to accept the faintest, feeblest breathings of a true heart. 
He must pour out His righteous judgment upon all false 
worship, though He will never '* quench the smoking 
flax nor break the bruised reed." The thought of this is 
most solemnizing, when one calls to mind the thousand 
of censers smoking with strange fire, throughout the 
wide domain of Christendom. May the Lord, in His 
rich grace, add to the number of true worshippers who 
worship the Father in spirit and in truth. (John iv.) 
It is infinitely happier to think of the true worship 
ascending, from honest hearts, to the throne of God, 
than to contemplate, even for a moment, the spurious 
worship on which the divine judgments must, ere long, 
be poured out. Every one who knows, through grace, 
the pardon of his sins, through the atoning blood of 
Jesus, can worship the Father, in spirit and in truth. 
He knows the proper ground, the proper object, the 
proper title, the proper capacity of worship. These 
things can only be known in a divine way. They do 
not beljng to nature or to earth. They are spiritual 



CHAPTm X. 18t 

and heavenly. Very much of that which passes among 
men for the worship of God is but '' strange fire " after 
all. There is neither the pure fire nor the pure incense, 
and, therefore, Heaven accepts it not; and, albeit, the 
divine judgment is not seen to fall upon those who 
present such worship, as it fell upon Nadab and Abihu, 
of old, this is only because '* God is in Christ reconciling 
the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses 
unto them." It is not because the worship is accepter ble 
to God, but because God is gracious. The time, how- 
ever, is rapidly approaching when the strange fire will 
be quenched for ever, when the throne of God shall no 
longer be insulted by clouds of impure incense ascend- 
ing from unpurged worshippers ; when all that is spurious 
Bhall be abolished, and the whole universe shall be as 
one vast and magnificent temple, in which the one true 
God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, shall be worshipped 
throughont the everlasting ages. 

Grateful incense this, ascending 

Ever to the Father's throne ; 
Every knee to Jesus bending, 

All the mind in heaven is one. 

All the Father's counsels claiming 

Equal honors to the Son, 
All the Son's effulgence beaming, 

Makes the Father's glory known. 

By the Spirit all pervading, 
Hosts unnumbered round the Lamb, 

Crjwn'd with light and joy unfading, 
Hail Him as the great ** 1 AM.*' 



188 LEVITICUS. 

For this the redeemed are waiting ; and, blessed be 
God, it is bat a little while when all their longing 
desires shall be fully met, and met for ever — yea met, 
after such a fashion, as to elicit from each and all the 
touching confession of Sheba's queen, that '' the half 
was not told me." May the Lord hasten the happy 
time! 

We must, now, return to our solemn chapter, and, 
lingering a little longer over it, endeavor to gather up 
and bear away with us some of its salutary teaching, 
for truly salutary it is, in an age like the present, when 
there is so much '' strange fire " abroad. 

There is something unusually arresting and impressive 
in the way in which Aaron received the heavy stroke of 
divine judgment. '^ Aaron held his peace.^^ It was a 
solemn scene. His two sons struck dead at his side, 
smitten down by the fire of divine judgment.* He had 

* Lest any reader should be troubled with a difficulty in 
reference to the coub of Nadab and Abihu, I would say that 
no such question ought ever to be raised. In such cases as 
Nadab and Abihu, in Leviticus x. ; Korah and his company, 
in Numbers xvi.; the whole congregation, Joshua and Caleb 
excepted, whose carcases fell in the wilderness, Numbers xiv. 
and Hebrews iii. ; Achan and his family, Joshua vii. ; Ananias 
and Sapphira, Acts v. ; those who were judged for abuses at 
the Lord's table, 1 Cor. xi. In all such cases, the question of 
the soul's salvation is never raised. We are simply called to 
see, in them, the solemn actings of God, in government in. the 
midst of His people. This relieves the mind from all difTi- 
culty. Jehovah dwelt, of old, between the Cherubim, to 
judge His people in everything ; and God the Holy Ghost 
d'^ells, now. in the church, to order and govern, according tc 
the perfection of His presence. He was so really and per- 



CHAPTER X. 189 

but just seen tbem clothed in their garments of glory 
and beauty — washed, robed, and anointed. They had 
stood with him, before the Lord, to be inaugurated into 
the priestly ofl&ce. They had offered, in company with 
him, the appointed sacrifices. They had seen the beams 
of the divine glory darting from the shekinah, they had 
seen the fire of Jehovah fall upon the sacrifice and con- 
sume it. They had heard the shout of triumph issuing 
from an assembly of adoring worshippers. All this had 
bat recently passed before him ; and now, alas ! his two 
sons lie at his side, in the grasp of death. The fire of 
the Lord which so recently fed upon an acceptable sacri- 
fice, had, now, fallen in judgment upon them, and what 
could he say ? Nothing. '' Aaron held his peace." *' I 
was dumb and opened not my mouth, because thou didst 
it." It was the hand of God ; and although it might, in 
the judgment of flesh and blood, seem to be a very 
heavy hand, yet he had only to bow his head, in silent 
awe and reverent acquiescence, ^' I was dumb .... 
because thou didst it." This was the suited attitude, in 

sonally present that Ananias and Sappliira could lie to Him, 
and He could execute judgment upon them. It was as posi- 
tive and as immediate an exhibition of His actings in govern- 
ment as we have in the matter of ISTadab and Abihu, or Achan, 
or any other. 

This is a great truth to get hold of. God is not only for 
His people, but tcitJi them, and m them. He is to be counted 
upon, for everything, whether it be great or small. He is 
present to comfort and help. He is there t# cliasten and 
judge. He is there *^for exigence of every hour." He is 
sufficient. Let faith count upon Him. *' Where two or three 
are gathered together in my name, there am I." (Matt. xviiL 
20.) And, assured] V, where He is, we want no more. 



190 LEVITICUS. 

the presence of the divine visitation. Aaron, doubtless, 
felt that the very pillars of his house were shaken bj 
the thunder of divine judgment; and he could onlj 
stand, in silent amazement, in the midst of the soul 
subduing scene. A father bereaved of his two sons, and 
in such a manner, and under such circumstances, was no 
ordinary case. It furnished a deeply-impressive com- 
mentary upon the words of the Psalmist, '' God is greatly 
to be feared in the assembly of the saints ; and to be had 
in reverence of all them that are about him." (Psalm 
Ixxxix.) ^' Who would not fear thee, Lord, and glorify 
thy name ? " May we learn to walk softly in the divine 
presence — to tread Jehovah's courts with unshod foot 
and reverent spirit. May our priestly censer ever bear 
upon it the one material, the beaten incense of Christ's 
manifold perfections, and may the power of the Spirit 
kindle up the hallowed flame. All else is not only 
worthless, but vile. Everything that springs from 
nature's energy, everything produced by the actings of 
the human will, the most fragrant incense of man's 
devising, the most intense ardor of natural devotion, will 
all issue in " strange fire " and evoke the solemn judg- 
ment of the Lord God Almighty. Oh I for a thoroughly 
truthful heart, and worshipping spirit, in the presence of 
our God and Father, continually I 

But let not any upright, though timid, heart be dis- 
couraged or alarmed. It is too often the case that those 
who really ought to be alarmed take no heed; while 
those for whom the Spirit of grace would only design a 
word of comfort and encouragement, apply to them- 
selves, in a wrong way, the startling warnings of Holy 
Scripture. Nc doubt, the meek and contrite heart that 



CHAPTER X. 191 

trembles at the word of the Lord, is in a safe condition ; 
but then we should remember that a father warns his 
child, not because he does not regard him as his child, 
but because he does; and one of the happiest proofs of 
the relationship is the disposition to receive and profit 
by the warning. The parental voice, even though its 
tone be that of solemn admonition, will reach the child's 
heart, but, certainly, not to raise, in that heart, a ques- 
tion as to its relationship with the one who speaks. If 
a son were to question his sonship whenever his father 
warns, it would be a poor affair indeed. The judgment 
which had just fallen upon Aaron's house did not make 
him doubt that he was really a priest. It merely had 
the effect of teaching him how to conduct himself in that 
high and holy position. 

" And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and 
unto Ithamar, his sons. Uncover not your heads, neither 
rend your clothes ; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon 
all the people ; but let your brethren, the whole house 
of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath 
kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the 
tabernacle of the congregation lest ye die : for the anoint- 
ing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did accord- 
ing to the word of Moses." 

Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar, were to remain un- 
moved in their elevated place — their holy dignity — 
their position of priestly sanctity. Neither the failure, 
nor yet the judgment consequent thereon, was to be 
allowed to interfere with those who wore the priestly 
rolKJS, and were anointed with ''the oil of the Lord." 
That holy oil had placed them in a sacred enclosure 
whore the influences of sin, of death, and of judgment 



192 LEVITICUS. 

could not reach them. Those who were outside, who 
were at a distance from the sanctuary, who were not 
in the position of priests, they might ''bewail the burn- 
ing ; '- but as for Aaron and his sons, they were to go 
on in the discharge of their hallowed functions, as 
though nothing had happened. Priests in the sanctuary 
were not to bewail, but to worship. They were not to 
weep, as in the presence of death, but to bow their 
O;nointed heads, in presence of the divine visitation. 
'' The fire of the Lord " might act, and do its solemn 
work of judgment; but, to a true priest, it mattered not 
what that '' fire " had come to do, whether to express 
the divine approval, by consuming a sacrifice, or the 
divine displeasure, by consuming the offerers of '^ strange 
fire," he had but to worship. . That '^ fire " was a well- 
fcnow^n manifestation of the divine presence, in Israel of 
old, and whether it acted in ''mercy or in judgment," 
the business of all true priests was to worship. '' I will 
ping of mercy and of judgment ; unto thee, Lord, will 
I sing." 

There is a deep and holy lesson for the soul in all 
this. Those who are brought nigh to God, in the 
power of the blood, and by the anointing of the Holy 
Ghost, must move in a sphere beyond the range of 
nature's influences. Priestly nearness to God gives the 
soul such an insight into all His ways, such a sense of 
the rightness of all His d. spensations, that one is 
enabled to worship in His presence, even though the 
stroke of His hand has removed from us the object of 
tender affection. It may be asked, Are we to be stoics ? 
I ask, Were Aaron and his sons stoics ? Nay, they 
were priests. Did they not feel as men ? Yes ; but 



CHAPTER X. 193 

t^^ worshipped as priests. This is profound. It opens 
up ^ region of thought, feeling, and experience, in whicl 
nat'i)^ can never move — a region of which, with all its 
boa>*t*^d refinement and sentimentality, nature knows 
absdntely nothing. We must tread the sanctuary of 
God, in true priestly energy, in order to enter into the 
depth, meaning, and power of such holy mysteries. 

The Prophet Ezekiel was called, in his day, to sit 
down to this difficult lesson. '' Also the word of the 
Lord came unto me, saying. Son of man, behold, I take 
away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke : 
yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall 
thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning 
for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and 
put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, 
and eat not the bread of men, ....... And I did in the 

morning as I was commanded." (Ez. xxiv. 16 — 18.) 
It will be said that all this was as '^ a sign " to Israel. 
True ; but it proves that in prophetic testimony, as well 
as in priestly worship, we must rise superior to all the 
claims and influences of nature and of earth. Aaron's 
sons and EzekiePs wife were cut down with a stroke j 
and, yet, neither the priest nor the prophet was to un- 
cover his head or shed a tear. 

Oh ! my reader, how far have you and I progressed 
in this profound lesson? No doubt, both reader and 
writer hare to make the same humiliating confession. 
Too often, alas ! we " walk as men " and *' eat the bread 
of men." Too often are we robbed of our high priestly 
privileges by the workings of nature and the influences 
of earth. These things must be watched against. 
Nothing save realized priestly nearness to God can over 
17 m 



194 LEVITICUS. 

preserve the heart from the power of evil, or iQaiataln 
its spiritual tone. Ail believers are priests unto God, 
and nothing can possibly deprive them of their position 
as such. But though they cannot lose their position, 
they may grievously fail in the discharge of their func- 
tions. These things are not sufficiently distinguished. 
Some there are who, while looking at the precious 
truth of the believer's security, forget the possibility of 
his failing in the discharge of his priestly functions. 
Others, on the contrary, looking at the failure, venture 
to call in question the security. 

Now, I desire that my reader should keep clear of 
both the above errors. He should be fully established 
in the divine doctrine of the eternal security of every 
member of the true priestly house ; but he should also 
bear in mind the possibility of failurQ, and the constant 
need of watchfulness and prayer, lest he should fail. 
May all those who have been brought to know the 
hallowed elevation of priests unto God be preserved, by 
His heavenly grace, from every species of failure, 
whether it be personal defilement, or the presentation of 
any of the varied forms of '* strange fire " which abound 
so in the professing church. 

''And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not 
drink wine nor strong drink, thou nor thy sons with 
thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, 
lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout 
your generations; and that ye may put difi'erence be- 
tween holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean ; 
and that ye may tf^ach the children of Israel all the 
statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the 
hand of Moses." (Ver. 8—11.) 



CHAPTER X. 195 

The eflfect of wine is to excite nature, and all ^atural 
excitement hinders that calm, well-balanced condition 
of soul which is essential to the proper discharge of the 
priestly office. So far from using any means to excite 
nature, we should treat it as a thing having no exist* 
ence. Thus only shall we be in a moral condition to 
serve in the sanctuary, to form a dispassionate judg- 
ment between clean and unclean, and to expound and 
communicate the mind of God. It devolves upon each 
one to judge, for himself, what, in his special case, 
would act as 'Svine or strong drink."* The things 

* Some have thought that, owing to the special place which 
this direction about wine occupies, Nadab and Abihu must 
have been under the influence of strong drink, when they 
offered the *' strange fire." But, be this as it may, we have 
to be thankful for a most valuable prmciple, in reference to 
om- conduct, as spiritual priests. We are to refrain from 
everything which would produce the same effect upon oui 
spiritual man, as strong drink produces upon the physical 
man. 

It needs hardly to be remarked that the Christian should be 
most jealous over himself as to the use of wine or strong 
drink. Timothy, as we know, needed an apostolic recom- 
mendation to induce him even to touch it, for his health's 
eake. (1 Tim. v.) A beauteous proof of Timothy's habitual 
Aelf-denial, and of the thoughtful love of tlie Spirit, in the 
apostle. I must confess that one's moral sense is offended by 
seeing Christians making use of strong drink in cases where 
it is, very manifestly, not medicinal. I rarely, if ever, see a 
spiritual person indulge in such a thing. One trembles to 
see a Christian the mere slave of a habit, whatever that habii 
may be. It proves that he is not keeping his body in subjec- 
tion, and he is in great danger of being ** disapproved." (1 
Cor. ix. 27.) 



196 LEVITICUS. 

which excite mere nature are manifold indeed — wealth, 
ambition, politics, the varied objects of emulation around 
us in the world. All these things act, with exciting 
power, upon nature, and entirely unfit us for every 
department of priestly service. If the heart be swollen 
with feelings of pride, covetousness, or emulation, it is 
utterly impossible that the pure air of the sanctuary can 
be enjoyed, or the sacred functions of priestly ministry 
discharged. Men speak of the versatility of genius, or 
a capacity to turn quickly from one thing to another. 
But the most versatile genius that Avas ever possessed 
could not enable a man to pass from an unhallowed 
arena of literary, commercial, or political competition, 
into the holy retirement of the sanctuary of the divine 
presence; nor could it ever adjust the eye that had 
become dimmed by the influence of such scenes, so as 
to enable it to discern, with priestly accuracy, the 
difference ''between holy and unholy, and between 
unclean and clean." No, my reader, God's priests must 
keep themselves apart from ''wine and strong drink." 
Theirs is a path of lioly sei)aration and abstraction. 
They are to be raised far above the influence of earthly 
joy as well as earthly sorrow. If they have aught to 
do with "strong wine," it is only that it may ''be 
poured unto the Lord for a drink offei'ing, in the holy 
place." (Numb, xxviii. 7.) In other word.s, the joy of 
God's priests is not the joy of earth, but the joy of 
heaven, the jo\' of the sanctuary. " The joy of the 
Lord is their strength." 

Would that all this holy instruction were more deeply 
pondered by us ! We, surel}', stand much iu need of it. 
If our priestly responsibilities arc not duly attended to, 



CHAPTER X. 191 

all must be deranged. When we contemplate the camp 
of Israel, we may observe three circles, and the inner- 
most of these circles had its centre in the sanctuary. 
There was first the circle of men of war. (Numb. L, 
ii.) Then the circles of Levites round about the taber- 
nacle. (Numb, iii., iv.) And, lastly, the innermost 
circle of priests, ministering in the holy place. Now, 
let it be remembered that the believer is called to move 
in all those circles. He enters into conflict, as a man 
of war. (Eph. vi. 11— H; 1 Tim. i. 18; vi. 12; 2 Tim. 
iv. 1.) He serves, as a Levite, in the midst of his 
brethren, according to his measure and sphere. (Matt. 
XXV. 14, 15; Luke xix. 12, 13.) Finally, he sacrifices 
and worships, as a priest, in the holy place. (Heb. xiii 
15, IG; 1 Peter ii. 5, 9.) The last of these shall endure 
Tor ever. And, moreover, it is as we are enabled, now, 
to move aright in that holy circle, that all other rela- 
tions and responsibilities are rightly discharged. Hence, 
every thing that incapacitates us for our priestly 
functions — every thing that draws us ofT from the 
centre of that innermost circle, in which it is our privi- 
lege to move — every thing, in short, that tends to 
derange our priestly relation, or dim our priestly vision, 
must, of necessity, unfit us for the service which we are 
called to render, and for the warfare which we are called 
to wage. 

These are weighty considerations. Let us dwell 
upon them. The heart must be kept right — the con- 
science pure — the eye single — the spiritual vision un- 
dimmcd. The souPs business in the holy place must be 
faithfully and diligently attended to, else we shall go all 
wrong. Private communion with God must be kept up, 



198 LEVITICUS. 

else we shall be fruitless, as servants, and defeated, as 
men of war. It is vain for us to bustle about, and run 
hither and thither, in what we call service, or indulge in 
vapid words about christian armor and christian war- 
fare. If we are not keeping our priestly garments 
unspotted, and if we are not keeping ourselves free from 
all that w^ould excite nature, we shall, assuredly, break 
down. The priest must keep his heart with all dili- 
gence, else the Levite will fail, and the warrior will be 
defeated. 

It is, let me repeat it, the business of each one to be 
fully aware of what it is that to him proves to be *' wine 
and strong drink " — what it is that produces excitement 
. — ^that blunts his spiritual perception, or dims his 
priestly vision. It may be an auction mart, a cattle- 
show, a newspaper. It may be the merest trifle. But 
no matter what it is, if it tends to excite, it will dis- 
qualify us for priestly ministry ; and if we are disquali- 
fied as priests, we are unfit for every thing, inasmuch 
as our success in every department and in every sphere 
must ever depend upon our cultivating a spirit of wor- 
ship. 

Let us, then, exercise a spirit of self-judgment — a 
spirit of watchfulness over our habits, our ways, and 
our associations ; and when we, by grace, discover aught 
that tends, in the smallest degree, to unfit us for the 
elevated exercises of the sanctuary, let us put it away 
from us, cost what it may. Let us not suffer ourselves 
to be the slaves of a habit. Communion with God 
Bhould be dearer to our hearts than all beside ; and just 
m proportion as we prize that communion, shall we 
watch and pray against anything that would rob us 



CHAPTER X. 199 

of it — everything that would excite, ruffle, or un- 
hinge.* 

"And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar, 
and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat 
offering that remaineth of the offerings of the Lord made 
by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it 
is most holy; and ye shall eat it in the holy place, be- 
cause it is thy due, and thy sons^ due, of the sacrifices 
of the Lord made by fire ; for so I am commanded." 
(Ver. 12, 13.) 

There are few things in which we are more prone to 
fail than in the maintenance of the divine standard, 
when human failure has set in. Like David, when the 
Lord made a breach upon Uzza, because of his failure 
in putting his hand to the ark, " He was afraid of God 
that day, saying. How shall I bring the ark of God 
home to me?" (1 Chron. xiii. 12.) It is exceedingly 
difficult to bow to the divine judgment, and at the 

* Some, perhaps, may think that the wording of Lev. x. 9 
jbffords a warrant for occasional indulgence in those thmgs 
which tend to excite the natural mind, inasmuch as it is said, 

"Do not drink wine nor strong drink wJien ye go 

into the tabernacle of the congregation." To this we may 
reply, tha.t the sanctuary is not a place which the Christian is, 
occasionally, to visit, but a place in which he is, hcibitually, to 
serve and worship. It is the sphere ni which he should *4ive, 
and move, and have his being." The more we live in the 
presence of God, the less can we bear to be out of it ; and no 
one who knows the deep joy of being there could lightly in- 
dulge in aught that would take or keep him thence. There 
is not that object within the compass of earth which would, 
in the judgment of a spiritual mind, be an equivalent for one 
four's fellowship with G >d 



200 LEVITICUS. 

same time, to hold fast the divine ground. The tempta* 
tion is to lower the standard, to come down from the 
lofty elevation, to take human ground. We must evet 
carefully guard against this evil, which is all the more 
dangerous as wearing the garb of modesty, self-distrust; 
and humility. Aaron and his sons, notwithstanding all 
that had occurred, were to eat the meat offering in the 
holy place. They were to do so, not because all had 
gone on in perfect order, but *' because it is thy due," 
and " so I am commanded." Though there had been 
failure, yet their place was in the tabernacle ; and those 
who were there had certain ^' dues " founded upon the 
divine commandment. Though man had failed ten 
thousand times over, the word of the Lord could not 
fail; and that word had secured certain privileges for 
all true priests, which it was their place to enjoy. 
Were God's priests to have nothing to eat, no priestly 
food, because failure had set in ? Were those that were 
left to be allowed to starve, because Nadab and Abihu 
had offered '^ strange fire ? " This would never do. 
God is faithful, and He can never allow any one to be 
empty in His blessed presence. The prodigal may wan- 
der, and squander, and come to poverty; but it must 
ever hold good that **in my Father's house is bread 
enough and to spare." 

" And the wave breast and the heave shoulder shall 
ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy 
daughters with thee : for they be thy due, and thy sons' 
due, which are given out of the sacrifices of pejice offer- 
ings of the children of ] srael by a statute for 

ever; as the Lord hath commanded,^' (Yer. 14, 15.) 
What strength and stability we have here ! All the 



CHAPTER X. 201 

members of the priestly family, ** daughters " as well as 
•'sons'' — all, whatever be the measure of energy or 
capacity, are to feed upon *'the breast" and *' the 
shoulder," the affections and the strength of the true 
Peace Offering, as raised from the dead, and presented, in 
resurrection, before God. This precious privilege is 
theirs as, *' given, by a statute for ever, as the Lord hath 
commanded." This makes all '^sure and steadfast," 
come what may. Men may fail, and come short; strange 
fire may be offered, but God's priestly family must never 
be deprived of the rioh and gracious portion which 
divine love has provided, and divine faithfulness secured, 
*' by a statute for ever." 

However, we must distinguish between those privi- 
leges which belonged to all the members of Aaron's 
family, '* daughters " as well as " sons," and those which 
could only be enjoyed by the male portion of the family. 
This point has already been referred to, in the notes on 
the offerings. There are certain blessings which are the 
common portion of all bclievets, simply as such; and 
there are those which demand a higher measure of 
spiritual attainment and priestly energy to apprehend 
and enjoy. Now, it is worse than vain, yea, it is im- 
pious, to set up for the enjoyment of this higher mea- 
sure, when we really have it not. It is one thing to 
hold %st the privileges which are '* given " of God, and 
can never be taken away, and quite another to assume 
a measure of spiritual capacity to which we have never 
attained. No doubt, we ought to desire earnestly the 
very highest measure of priestly communion — the most 
elevated order of priestly privilege. But, then, dejiiring 
a thing, and assuming to have it, are verv different. 



202 LEVITICUS. 

This tbougtt will throw light upon the closing parfiu 
graph of our chapter. " And Moses diligently sought 
the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt : 
and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons 
of Aaron which were left, saying, Wherefore have ye not 
eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most 
holy, and God hath given it to you to bear the iniquity 
of the congregation, to make atonement for them before 
the Lord ? Behold, the blood of it was not brought in 
within the holy place : ye should indeed have eaten it in 
the holy place, as I commanded. And Aaron said unto 
Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin 
offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and 
such things have befallen me ; and if I had eaten the sin 
offering to-day, should it have been accepted in the sight 
of the Lord ? And when Moses heard that, he was 
content." 

The ''daughters" of Aaron were not permitted to eat 
of ''the sin offering." This high privilege belonged 
only to the "sons," and it was a type of the most 
elevated form of priestly service. To eat of the sin 
offering was the expression of full identification with the 
offerer, and this demanded an amount of priestly 
capacity and energy which found its type in " the sons 
of Aaron." On the occasion before us, however, it is 
very evident that Aaron and his sons were not in a 
condition to rise to this high and holy ground. They 
ought to have been, but they were not. " Such things 
ha^^fi befallen me," said Aaron. This, no doubt, was to 
be deplored; but, yet, "when Moses heard it, he was 
content." It is far better to be real in the confession of 



CHAPTER X. 203 

oar failure and shortcoming, than to put fonh preten- 
si'^ns to spiritual power which are wholly without founda- 
t]<>n. 

Thus, then, the tenth chapter of the Book of Levi- 
ticus opens with positive sin, and closes with negative 
failure. Nadab and Abihu offered " strange fire ;" and 
Eleazar and Ithamar were unable to eat the sin offering. 
The former was met by divine judgment; the latter, 
by divine forbearance. There could be no allowance for 
"strange fire." It was positively flying in the face of 
God's plain commandment. There is, obviously, a 
wide difference between a deliberate rejection of a plain 
command, and mere inability to rise to the height of a 
divine privilege. The former is open dishonor done to 
God; the latter is a forfeiture of one's own blessing. 
There should be neither the one nor the other, but the 
difference between the two is easily traced. 

May the Lord, in His infinite grace, ever keep us 
abiding in the secret retirement of His holy presence, 
abiding in His love, and feeding upon His truth. Thus 
shall we be preserved from *' strange fire," and '' strong 
drink" — from false worship of every kind, and fleshly 
excitement, in all its forms. Thus, too, shall we be 
enabled to carry ourselves aright in every department 
of priestly ministration, and to enjoy all the privileges 
of our priestly position. The communion of a Christian 
\8 like a sensitive plant. It is easily hurt by the rude 
mfluences of an evil world. It will expand beneath 
the genial action of the air of heaven ; but 'must firmly 
shut itself up from the chilling breath ()f time and 
Reuse Let us remen ber these things, and ever seek to 



204 LEVITICUS. 

keep close within the sacred precincts of the divine 
presence. There, all is pure, safe, and happy, 

Far from a world of grief and sin, 
With God eternally shut in* 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Book of Leviticus may be termed " the priest's 
guide book." This is very much its character. It ia 
full of principles for the guidance of such as desire to 
live in the enjoyment of priestly nearness to God. Had 
Israel gone on with Jehovah, according to the grace in 
which He had brought them up, out of the land of 
Egypt, they should have been to Him " a kingdom of 
priests and a holy nation." (Ex. xix. 6.) This, however, 
they failed to do. They put themselves at a distance. 
They got under law and failed to keep it. Hence, 
Jehovah had to take up a certain tribe, and from that 
tribe a certain family, and from that family a certain 
man, and to him and to his house, was granted the high 
privilege of drawing nigh, as priests unto God 

Now, the privileges of such a position were immense ; 
but it had its heavy responsibilities, likewise. There 
would be the ever-recurring demand for the exercise of a 
discerning mind. '' The priest's lips should keep know- 
ledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth : for he 
is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." (Mai. ii. 7.) 
Tlie 'iriest was not only to bear the judgment of the 



CHAPTER XI. 205 

congregation, before the Lord, but also to expound the 
ordinances of the Lord to the congregation. He was to 
be the ever-ready medium of communication between 
Jehovah and the assembly. He was not merely to know 
the mind of God, for himself, but be able also to in- 
terpret that mind to the people. All this would de^ 
mand, of necessity, constant watching, constant waiting, 
constant hanging over the page of inspiration, that he 
might drink in, to his very soul, all the precepts, the 
judgments, the statutes, the laws, the commandments, 
and the ordinances of the God of Israel, so as to be able 
to instruct the congregation, in reference to "those 
things which ought to be done." 

There was no room left for the play of fancy, the 
working of imagination, the introduction of man's plausi- 
ble inferences, or the cunning devices of human expe- 
diency. Everything was laid down, with the divine 
precision and commanding authority of a "thus saith 
the Lord." Minute and elaborate as was the detail of 
sacrifices, rites, and ceremonies, nothing was left for 
man's brain to originate. He was not even permitted 
to decide upon the kind of sacrifice to be offered, upon 
any given occasion ; nor yet as to the mode in which 
such sacrifice was to be presented. Jehovah took care 
of everything. Neither, the congregation nor the priest 
had any authority whatsoever, to decree, enact, or sug- 
gest so much as a single item throughout all the vast 
array of ordinances in the Mosaic economy. The word 
of the Lord settled all, Man had only to obey. 

This, to an obedient heart, was nothing short of an 
unspeakable mercy. It is quite impossible to over- 
estimate the privilege of being permitted to betako 
18 



206 LEVITICUS. 

oneself to the oracles of God, and there find the mos* 
ample guidance as to all the details of one's faith and 
service, day by day. All that we need is a broken will, 
a mortified mind, a sii gle eye. The divine guide book 
is as full as we can possibly desire. We want no more. 
To imagine, for a moment, that aught is left for man'? 
wisdom to supply, must be regarded as a flagrant insult 
offered to the sacred canon. No one can read the 
Book of Leviticus, and not be struck with the extra- 
ordinary painstaking, on the part of Israers God, to 
furnish His people with the most minute instruction 
upon every point connected with His service and wor- 
ship. The most cursory reader of the book might, a< 
least, bear a\^ ay with him this touching and interesting 
lesson. 

And, truly, if ever there was a time when this self 
same lesson needed to be read out in the ears of the 
professing church, this is the time. On all hands, the 
divine suflBciency of Holy Scripture is called in question. 
In some cases this is openly and deliberately done ; in 
others it is, with less frankness, hinted, insinuated, im- 
plied, and inferred. The christian mariner is told, 
directly, or indirectly, that the divine chart is insuflScient 
for all the intricate details of his voyage — that such 
changes have taken place in the ocean of life, since that 
chart was made, that, in many cases, it is entirely 
deficient for the purposes of modern navigation. He 
is told that the currents, tides, coasts, strands, and 
shores of that ocean are quite different, now, from what 
they were some centuries ago, and that, as a necessary 
consequence, he must have recourse to the aids which 
modem navigation supplies, in order to make up tor tho 



CHAPTER XI. 20? 

deficiencies in the old chart, which is, as a matter of 
course, admitted to have been perfect at the time it was 
made. 

Now, I earnestly desire that the Christian reader 
should be able, with clearness and decision, to meet this 
grievous dishonor done to the precious volume of in- 
spiration, every line of which comes to him fresh from 
his Father's bosom, through the pen of God the Holy 
Ghost. I desire that he should meet it, whether it 
comes before him in the shape of a bold and blasphe- 
mous statement, or a learned and plausible inference. 
Whatever garb it wears, it owes its origin to the enemy 
of Christ, the enemy of the Bible, the enemy of the 
soul. If, indeed, the Word of God be not suflBcient, 
then w^here are w^e ? or whither shall we turn ? To 
whom shall we betake ourselves for aid, if our Father's 
book be, in any respect, defective ? God says that His 
book can "furnish us thoroughly to all good works." 
(2 Tim. iii. 1/7.) Man says, no; there are many things 
about which the Bible is silent, which, nevertheless, we 
need to know. Whom am I to believe ? God or man ? 
0«r reply to any one who questions the divine suflS- 
ciency of Scripture, is just this, " either you a^-e not a 
'man of God,' or else that for which you want a war- 
rant is not ' a good work.' " This is plain. No one can 
possibly think otherwise, with his eye resting on 2 
Timothy iii. It. 

Oh! for a deeper sense of the fulness, majesty, and 
authority of the Word of God ! We very much need 
to be braced up on this point. We want such a deep, 
bold, vigorous, influential, and abiding sense of the 
supreme authority of the divine canon, and of its abso 



•208 LEVITICUS. 

lute completeness for every age, every clime, every 
position, every department — ^personal, social, and eccle- 
siastical, as shall enable us to withstand every attempt 
of the enemy to depreciate the value of that inestimable 
treasure. May our hearts enter more into the spirit of 
those words of the Psalmist, *' Thy word is true /ro?n 
the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judg- 
ments endureth for ever^ (Psalm cxix. 160.) 

The foregoing train of thought is awakened by the 
perusal of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Leviticus. 
Therein we find Jehovah entering, in most marvellous 
detail, into a description of beasts, birds, fishes, and 
reptiles, and furnishing His people with various marks 
by which they were to know what was clean and what 
was unclean. We have the summing up of the entire 
contents of this remarkable chapter in the two closing 
verses. '' This is the law of the beasts, and of the 
fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the 
waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the 
earth ; to make a difference between the unclean and the 
clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the 
beast that may not be eaten." 

With regard to beasts, two things were essential to 
render them clean, they should chew the cud and divide 
the hoof. '' Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven- 
footed, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that 
'shall ye eat." Either of these marks would, of itself, 
have been wholly insufiBcient to constitute ceremonial 
cleanness. The two should go top:ether. Now, while 
these two marks were quite suflBcient for the guidance 
of an Israelite, as to the cleanness or uncleanness of an 
animal, without any reference as to why or wherefore 



CHAPTER XI. 209 

sucli marks were given, or what they meant, yet is the 
Christian permitted to enquire into the spiritual truth 
wrapped up in these ceremonial enactments. 

What, then, are we to learn from those two features 
in a clean animal ? The chewing of the cud expresses 
the natural process of '' inwardly digesting " that which 
one eats ; while the divided hoof sets forth the character 
of one's outward walk. There is, as we know, an inti- 
mate connection between the two, in the christian life. 
The one who feeds upon the green pastures of the Word 
of God, and inwardly digests what he takes in — the one 
who is enabled to combine calm meditation with prayer- 
ful study, will, v/ithout doubt, manifest that charactea- of 
outward walk which is to the praise of Him who has 
graciously given us His word to form our habits and 
govern our ways. 

It is to be feared that many who read the Bible do 
not digest the word. The two things are widely differ- 
ent. One may read chapter after chapter, book after 
book, and not digest so much as a single line. We may 
read the Bible as part of a dull and profitless routine ; 
but, through lack of the ruminating powers— the 
digestive organs, we derive no profit whatsoever. 
This should be carefully looked into. The cattle that 
browse on the green may teach us a wholesome lesson. 
They, first, diligently gather up the refreshing pasture, 
and then calmly lie down to chew the cud. Striking 
and beautiful picture of a Christian feeding upon and 
inwardly digesting the precious contents of the volume 
of inspiration. Would that there were more of this 
amongst us! Were we more accustomed to betake 
ourselves to the Word as the necessary pasture of our 



210 LEVITICUS. 

souls, W{} should, assuredly, be in a more t igorous and 
healthy condition. Let us b'eware of reading the Bible 
as a dead form — a cold duty — a piece of religious rou- 
tine. 

The same caution is needful in reference to the public 
exposition of the Word. Let those who expound Scrip- 
ture to their fellows, first feed and digest for themselves. 
Let them read and ruminate, in private, not merely for 
others, but for themselves. It is a poor thing for a man 
to be continually occupied in procuring food for other 
people, and he himself dying of starvation. Then, 
again, let those who attend upon the public ministry of 
the Word, see that they are not doing so mechanically, 
as by the force of mere religious habit, but with an 
earnest desire to '' read, mark, learn, and inwardly 
digest" what they hear. Then will both teachers and 
taught be well-conditioned, the spiritual life nourished 
and sustained, and the true character of outward walk 
exhibited. 

But, be it remembered, that the chewing of the cud 
must never be Separated from the divided hoof. If one 
but partially acquainted with the priest's guide book — 
unpractised in the divine ceremonial, happened to see 
an animal che^ving the cud, he might hastily pronounce 
him clean. This would have been a serious error. A 
more careful reference to the divine directory would, at 
once, show that he must mark the animal's icalk — that 
he must note the impression made by each movement — 
that he must look for the result of the divided hoof 
"Nevertheless, these shall ye not eat, of them that chew 
the cud, or of thom that divide the hoof: as the camel 



CHAPTER XI. 211 

because he chewcth the cud, but divideth not the hoof, 
he is unclean unto you," &c., &c. (Yer. 4 — 6.) 

In like manner, the divided hoof was insufficient, if 
not accompanied by the chewing of the cud. *^ The 
swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, 
yet he cheweth not the cud ; he is unclean to you." 
(Ver. 7.) In a word, then, the two things were insepar- 
able in the case of every clean animal ; and, as to the 
spiritual application, it is of the very last importance, 
in a practical point of view. The inward life and the 
outward walk must go together. A man may profess 
to love and feed upon — to study and ruminate over the 
Word of God — the pasture of the soul ; but, if his foot- 
prints along the pathway of life are not such as the 
Word requires, he is not clean. And, on the othei 
hand, a man may seem to walk with pharisaic blameless- 
ness ; but if his walk be not the result of the hidden life, 
it is worse than worthless. There must be the divine 
principle within which feeds upon and digests the rich 
pasture of God's Word, else the impression of the foot 
step will be of no avail. The value of each depends 
upon its inseparable connection with the other. 

We are, here, forcibly reminded of a solemn passage 
in the First Epistle of John, in which the apostle fur- 
nishes us with the two marks whereby we may know 
those that are of God. " In this the children of God 
are manifest, and the children of the devil : whosoever 
doeth not righteousness^ is not of God, neither he thai 
loveth not his brother, ^^ (1 John iii. 10.) Here we have 
the two grand characteristics of the eternal life, of which 
all true believers are possessed, namely, '^righteous- 
ness " and *' love." The outward and the inward. Both 



212 LEVITICUS. 

must be combined. Some professing Christians are all 
for love, so called ; and some for righteousness. Neither 
can exist, in a divine woy, without the other. If that 
which is called love exist without practical righteous- 
ness, it will, in reality, be but a lax, soft, easy-going 
habit of mind, which will tolerate all manner of error 
and evil. And, if that which is called righteousness 
exist without love, it will be a stern, proud, pharisaic, 
self-sufficient temper of soul resting upon the miserable 
basis of personal reputation. But where the divine life 
is in energy, there will ever be the inward charity com- 
bined with genuine practical righteousness. The two 
elements are essential in the formation of true christian 
character. There must be the love that will express 
itself in reference to the very feeblest development of 
that which is of God; and, at the same time, the holiness 
that shrinks, with intense abhorrence, from all that is of 
Satan. 

We shall now pass on to the consideration of that 
which the Levitical ceremonial taught with respect to 
" all that are in the waters." Here, again, we find the 
double mark. ** These shall ye eat of all that are in the 
waters : whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, 
in the seas,, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. And 
all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the 
rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living 
thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomina- 
tion unto you." (Ver. 9, 10.) Two things were neces- 
sary to render a fish ceremonially clean, namely, '^ fins 
and scales," which, obviously, set forth a certain fitness 
for the sphere and element in which the creature had to 
move. 



CHAPTER XI. 213 

But, doubtless, there was more than this. I believe it 
16 our privilege to discern, in the natural properties 
with which God has endowed those creatures which 
move in the waters, certain spiritual qualities which 
belong to the christian life. If a fish needs a ''fin" to 
enable him to move through the water, and '' scales " to 
resist the action thereof, so does the believer need that 
spiritual capacity which enables him to move onward 
through the scene with which he is surrounded, and, at 
t-he same time, to resist its influence — to prevent its 
penetrating — to keep it out. These are precious quali- 
ties. The fin and the scale are pregnant with meaning 
— full of practical instruction to the Christian. They 
exhibit to us, in ceremonial garb, two things which we 
specially need, namely, spiritual energy to move onward 
through the element which surrounds us, and the power 
to preserve us from its action. The one will not avail 
without the other. It is of no use to possess a capacity 
to get on, through the world, if we are not proof against 
the world's influence ; and though we may seem to be 
able to keep the world out, yet if we have not the 
motive power, we are defective. The " fins " would not 
do without the '' scales," nor the '' scales " without the 
*' fins." Both were required, to render a fish ceremoni- 
ally clean; and we, in order to be properly equipped, 
require to be encased against the penetrating influence of 
an evil world ; and, at the same time, to be furnished 
with a capacity to pass rapidly on. 

The whole deportment of a Christian should declare 
him a pilgrim and a stranger here. *' Onivard " must 
be liis motto — evet and only, onward. Let his locality 
and hia circumstances be what they may, he is to have 



114 LEVITICUS. 

his cyi; fixed on a home beyoud this perishing, passing 
tvorld. lie is furnished, by grace, with spiritual ability 
:o go forward — to penetrate, energetically, through all, 
•rud carry out the earnest aspirations of his heaven-born 
spvrit. And, while thus vigorously pushing his way 
onward — while '' forcing his passage to the skies," he is 
to k-^ep his inward man fenced round about, and fast 
elosea Tip against all external influences. 

Oh ! or more of the onward bent, the upward ten- 
dency ! For more holy fixedness of soul, and profound 
retirement from this vain world ! We shall have reason 
to bless tL> Lord for our meditations amid the ceremonial 
shadows ot Ae Book of Leviticus, if we are led, thereby, 
to long moro -intensely after those graces which, though 
so dimly porvrayed there, are, nevertheless, so mani- 
festly needful vbr us. 

From verse 13 to verse 24 of our chapter, we have 
the law with rtr?.<pect to birds. All of the carnivorous 
kind, that is, all that fed on flesh, were unclean. The 
omnivorous, or those who could eat anything, were un- 
clean. All those which, though furnished with power 
to soar into the heavens, would, nevertheless, grovel 
upon the earth, were unclean. As to the latter class, 
there were some excepti-onal cases; (ver. 21, 22;) but 
the general rule, the fixed principle, the standing ordi- 
nance was as distinct as possible ; *^all fowls that creep, 
going upon all fours, shall be an abomination unto you." 
(Ver. 20.) All this is very simple in its instruction to 
us. Those fowls that could feed upon flesh ; those that 
could swallow anything or everything ; and all grovel- 
ling fowls were to be unclean to the Israel of God, 
becai>.se so pronounced b^* the God of Israel; nor can the 



CHAPTER XT. 215 

Bpirifual mind have any difficulty in d'scerninf)^ the fit- 
ness of mvh an ordinance. We can not only trace in 
the habits of the above three chisses of fowl the just 
ground of their being pronounced unclean ; but we can 
also see in them the striking exhibition of that, in 
nature, which is to be strenuously guarded against by 
every true Christian. Sucli an one is called to refuse 
everything of a carnal nature. Moreover, he cannot 
feed, promiscuously, upon everything that comes before 
him. He must "try the things that differ." He must 
''take heed what he hears." He must exercise a dis- 
cerning mind, a spiritual judgment, a heavenly taste. 
Finally, he must use his wings. He must rise on the 
pinions of faith, and lind his place in the celestial sphere 
to which he belongs. In short, there must be nothing 
grovelling, nothing promiscuous, nothing unclean, for 
the Christian. 

As to "creeping things," the following was the 
general rule: "And every creeping thing that creepeth 
upon the earth shall be an abomination ; it shall not be 
eaten." (Yer. 41.) How wonderful to think of the 
condescending grace of Jehovah! He could stoop to 
give directions about a crawling reptile. He would not 
leave His people at a loss as to the most trivial afiair. 
The priest's guide book contained the most ample in- 
Itructions as to everything. He desired to keep His 
people free from the defilement consequent upon touch- 
ing, tasting, or handling aught that was unclean. 
They were not their own, and hence they were not 
to do as they pleased. They belonged to Jehovah; 
His name was called upon them ; they were identified 
with Him His word was to be their guard regu- 



216 LEVITICUS. 

latiug standard, in every case. From it they were to 
learn the ceremonial status of beasts, birds, fishes, and 
creeping things. They were not to think their own 
thoughts, to exercise their own reasoning powers, or be 
guided by their own imaginations, in such matters. 
God'^s Word was to be their sole directory. Other 
nations might eat what they pleased; but Israel en- 
joyed the high privilege of eating that only which was 
pleasing to Jehovah. 

Nor was it as to the mere matter of eating aught that 
was unclean that the people of God were so jealously 
guarded. Bare contact was forbidden. (See ver. 8, 24, 
26 — 28, 31 — 41.) It was impossible for a member of 
the Israel of God to touch that which was unclean 
without contracting defilement. This is a principle 
largely unfolded, both in the law and the prophets. 
" Thus saith the Lord of hosts, ask ye now the priests 
concerning the law, saying, if one bear holy flesh in the 
skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, 
or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be 
holy ? And the priests answered and said, No. Then 
said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body 
toitch any of these, shall it be unclean ? And the priests 
answered and said, It shall be unclean." (Hag. ii. 11 — 
13.) Jehovah would hare His people holy in all things 
They were neither to eat nor touch aught that was un- 
clean. " Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with 
any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make 
yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled 
thereby." Then follows the powerful reason for all this 
careful separation. ''For I am the Lord your God: yo 
shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be ho5y , 



CHAPTER XL 211 

for I aw holy : neither shall ye defile yourselves with 
any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the 
earth. For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of 
the land of Egypt, to be your God : ye shall therefore 
be holy, /or I am lioly.^^ (Ver. 43 — 45.) 

It is well to see that the personal holiness of God's 
people — their entire separation from all manner of un- 
cleanness, flows out of their relationship to Him. It 
is not upon the principle of *' stand by thyself, I am 
holier than thou;" but simply this, '^God is holy," and 
therefore all who are brought into association wnth 
Him must be holy, likewise. It is, in every way, 
worthy of God that His people should be holy. '' Thy 
testimonies are very sure ; holiness becometh thy house, 
Lord, for ever." What else save holiness could be- 
come the house of such an One as Jehovah ? If any 
one had asked an Israelite, of old, '' Why do you shrink 
so from that reptile which crawls along the path ?" He 
would have replied, "Jehovah is holy; and I belong to 
Him. He has said ' Touch not.' " So, also, now, if a 
Christian be asked why he walks apart from the ten 
thousand things in which the men of this world parti- 
cipate, his answer is simply to be, ''My Father is holy.^^ 
This is the true foundation of personal holiness. The 
more we contemplate the divine character, and enter 
into the power of our relationship to God, in Christ, by 
the energy of the Holy Ghost, the holier we must, of 
necessity, be. There can be no progress in the con- 
dition of holiness into which the believer is introduced ; 
but there is, and ought to be, progress in the appre- 
hension, experience, and practical exhibition of that 
holiness. These things should never be confounded 
19 



218 LEVITICUS. 

A.11 believers are in the same condition of holiness or 
Banctificatiou ; but their practical measure may vary 
to any conceivable degree. This is easily understot»d 
The condition arises out of our being brought nigh to 
God, by the blood of the cross ; the practical measure 
will depend upon our keeping nigh, by the power of 
the Spirit. It is not a man setting up for something 
superior in himself — for a greater degree of personal 
sanctity than is ordinarily possessed — for being, in any 
wise, better than his neighbors. Ail such pretensions 
are utterly contemptible, in the judgment of every 
right-thinking person. But then, if God, in His ex- 
ceeding grace, stoop down to our low estate, and h'ft 
us into the holy elevation of His blessed presence, in 
association with Christ, has He not a right to pn^scribe 
what our character is to be, as thus brought nigh? 
Who could think of calling in question a truth so 
obvious? And, further, are we not bound to aim at 
the maintenance of that character which He prescribes? 
Are we to be accused of presumption for so doing? 
Was it presumption in an Israelite to refuse to touch 
"a creeping thing?" Nay, it would have been pre- 
sumption of the most daring and dangerous character 
to have done so. True, he might not have been able to 
make an uncircumcised stranger understand or appre- 
ciate the reason of his conduct; but this was not his 
province. Jehovah had said, '' Touch not," not because 
an Israelite was holier in himself than a stranger ; but 
because Jehovah was holy, and Israel belonged to 
Him. It needed the eye and the heart of a circumcised 
disciple of the law of God, in order to discern what was 
clean and what was not. An alien knew no difference. 



CHAPTER XI. 219 

Thus it must ever be. It is only Wisdom's children 
that can justify her and approve her heavenly ways. 

Ero turning from the eleventh chapter of Leviticus, 
my reader might, with nmch spiritual profit, compare it 
with the tenth chapter of Acts, ver. 11 — 16. How 
strange it must have appeared to one who had, from his 
earliest days, been taught in the principles of the Mosaic 
ritual, to see a vessel descending from heaven, '' wherein 
were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and 
wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air;" 
and not only to see such a vessel, so filled, but also to 
bear a voice, saying, "Rise, Peter; kill, and eat." How 
wonderful I No examination of hoofs or habits I There 
was no need of this. The vessel and its contents had 
come from heaven. This was enough. The Jew might 
ensconce himself behind the narrow enclosures of the 
Jewish ritual, and exclaim, **Not so, Lord; for I have 
never eaten anything that is common or unclean ; " but, 
then, the tide of divine grace was rising, majestically, 
above all such enclosures, in order to embrace, in its 
mighty compass, '^ ^W. manner" of objects, and bear 
them upward to heaven, in the power and on the 
authority of those precious words, ''What God hath 
cleansed, that call not thou common." It mattered not 
what was in the vessel, if God had cleansed it. The 
Author of the Book of Leviticus was about to raise the 
thoughts of His servant above the barriers which that 
book had erected, into all the magnificence of heaven's 
grace. He would teach him that true cleanness — the 
cleanness which heaven demanded, was no longer to 
consist in chewing the cud, dividing the hoof, or any 
Buch ceremonial marks, but in being washed in the blood 



220 LEVITICUS. 

of the Lamb, which cleanseth from all sin, and renden 
the believer clean enough to tread the sapphire pavement 
of the heavenly courts. 

This was a noble lesson for a Jew to learn. It was a 
divine lesson, before the light of which the shadows of 
the old economy must pass away. The hand of sov- 
ereign grace has thrown open the door of the kingdom; 
but not to admit aught that is unclean. This could not 
be. Nothing unclean can enter heaven. But, then, a 
cloven hoof was no longer to be the criterion ; but ''what 
God hath deansed.^^ When God cleanses a man, he 
must needs be clean. Peter was about lo be sent to open 
the kingdom to the Gentiles, as he had already opened 
it to the Jews; and his Jewish heart needed to be en- 
larged. He needed to get above the dark shadows of a 
by-gone age, into the meridian light that was shining 
from an open heaven, in virtue of a completed sacrifice. 
He needed to get out of the narrow current of Jewish 
prejudices, and be borne upon the bosom of that mighty 
tide of grace which was about to roll through the 
length and breadth of a lost world. He had to learn, 
too, that the standard by which true cleanness must be 
regulated, was no longer carnal, ceremonial, and earthly, 
but spiritual, moral, and heavenly. Assuredly, w^e may 
say, these were noble .lessons for the apostle of the cir- 
cumcision to learn upon the housetop of Simon the 
tanner. They were eminently calculated to soften, to 
expand, and elevate a mind which had been trained 
amid the contracting influences of the Jewish system. 
We bless the Lord for these precious lessons. We 
bless Him for the large and wealthy place in which He 
has set us, by ti^e Hood of the cross. We bless Hin' 



CHAPTER XII. 221 

that we are no longer hemmed round about by *' touch 
not this; taste not that; handle not the other thing;" but 
that His word assures us that *' every creature of God is 
good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with 
thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God 
and prayer." (1 Tin 'v. 4, 5.) 



CHAPTER XII. 

This brief section reads out to us, after its own pecu 
liar fashion, the double lesson of ''man's ruin and God's 
remedy." But though the fashion is peculiar, the lesson 
is most distinct and impressive. It is, at once, deeply 
humbling and divinely comforting. The effect of all 
scripture, when interpreted to one's own soul, directly, 
by the power of the Holy Ghost, is to lead us out of 
self to Christ. Wherever we see our fallen nature — at 
whatever stage of its history we contemplate it, whether 
in its conception, at its birth, or at any point along its 
whole career, from the womb to the coffin, it wears the 
double stamp of infirmity and defilement. This is, 
sometimes, forgotten amid the glitter and glare, the 
pomp and fashion, the wealth and splendor of Luiiian 
life. The mind of man is fruitful in devices to cover 
his humiliation. In various ways he seeks to ornament 
and gild, and put on an appearance of strength and 
glory ; but it is all vain. He has only to be seen as he 
enters this world, a pe^r helpless creature; or, as he 



222 LEViTicua 

passes away from h, to take his place with the clod ol 

the valley, in order to have a most convincing proof of 
the hollowness of all his pride, the vanity of all hif 
glory. Those whose path through this world has been 
brightened by what man calls glory, have entered in 
nakedness and helplessness, and retreated amid disease 
and death. 

Xor is this all. It is not merely helplessness that 
belongs to man — that characterizes him as he enters 
this life. There is defilement also. '' Behold," says the 
psalmist, ''I was shapen in iniquity, aad in sin did my 
mother conceive me.'' (Ps. li. 5.) *' How can he be clean 
that is born of a woman ? " (Job xxv. 4.) In the 
chapter before us, we are taught that the conception and 
birth of " a man child," involved '*' seven days " of 
ceremouial defilement to the mother, together with 
thirty-three days of separation from the sanctuary ; and 
these periods were doubled in the case of ''a maid 
child." Has this no voice? Can we not read, herein, 
an humbling lesson ? Does it not declare to us, in lan- 
guage not to be misunderstood, that man is ''an unclean 
thing," and that he needs the blood of atonement to 
cleanse him ? Truly so. Man may imagine that he 
can work out a righteousness of his own. He may 
vainly boast of the dignity of human nature. He may 
put on a lofty air, and assume a haughty bearing, as he 
moves across the stage of Ife; but if he would just 
retire for a few moments, and ponder over the short 
section of our book which now lies open before us, hia 
pride, pomp, dignity, and righteousness would speedily 
vanish; and, instead thereof, he might find the 
solid basis of all true dignity, as well as the ground of 



CHAPTER xn. 223 

divine righteousness, in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

The shadow of this cross passes before us in a double 
way in our chapter; first, in the circumcision of the 
** man child," whereby he became enrolled as a membejf 
of the. Israel of God; and, secondly, in the burnt 
offering and sin offering, whereby the mother was re- 
stored from every defiling influence, rendered fit, once 
more, to approach the sanctuary, and to come in con- 
tact with holy things. "And when the days of her 
purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she 
shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt oflering, 
and a young pigeon or a turtle dove, for a sin offering, 
unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 
unto the priest ; who shall offer it before ^he Lord, and 
make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed 
from the issue of her Wood. This is the law for her 
that hath born a male or a female." (Ver. 6, 7.) The 
death of Christ, in its two grand aspects, is here intro- 
duced to our thoughts, as the only thing which could 
possibly meet, and perfectly remove, the defilement 
connected Avith man's natural birth. The burnt offer- 
ing presents the death of Christ, according to the 
divine estimate thereof; the sin offering, on the other 
hand, presents the death of Christ, as bearing upon the 
sinner's need. 

" And if she be not able to bring a Iamb, then she 
shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons ; the one 
for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering ; 
and the priest shall make an atonement for nor, and she 
shall be clean." Nothing but blood-shedding could 
impart cleanness. The cross is the only remedy for 



224 LEVITICUS. 

man's infirmity, and man's defilement. Wherever that 
glorious work is apprehended, by faith, there is perfect 
cleanness enjoyed. Now, the apprehension may be 
feeble — the faith may be but wavering — the experience 
may be shallow ; but, let the reader remember, for his 
soul's joy and comfort, that it is not the depth of his 
experience, the stability of his faith, or the strength of 
his apprehension, but the divine value, the changeless 
efi&cacy of the blood of Jesus. This gives gi'eat rest to 
the heart. The sacrifice of the cross is the same to 
every member of the Israel of God, whatever be his 
status in the assembly. The tender considerateness of 
our ever gracious God is seen in the fact that the blood 
of a turtle dove was as eflScacious for the poor, as the 
blood of a bullock for the rich. The full value of the 
atoning work was alike maintained and exhibited in 
each. Had it not been so, the humble Israelite, if in- 
volved in ceremonial defilement, might, as she gazed 
upon the well-stocked pastures of some wealthy neigh- 
bor, exclaim, ^' Alas ! what shall I do ? How shall 
I be cleansed ? How shall I get back to my place and 
privilege in the assembly? I have neither flock nor 
herd. I am poor and needy." But, blessed be God, 
the case of such an one was fully met. A pigeon or 
turtle dove was quite sufficient. The same perfect and 
beautiful grace shines forth, in the case of the leper, in 
chapter xiv. of our book : " And if he be poor and can- 
not get so much, then he shall take, &c And 

he shall offer the one of the turtle doves, or of the 
young pigeons, such as he can get ; even such as he is 

able to get This is the law of him in whom is 

the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get 



CHAPTER XII 225 

that whicii pertaineth to his cleansing." (Ver. 21, 30 — 
32.) 

Grace meets the needy one just where he is, and as 
he is. The atoning blood is brought within the reach 
of the very lowest, the very poorest, the very feeblest. 
All who need it can have it. " If he be poor " — what 
then ? Let him be cast aside ? Ah ! no ; Israel's God 
could never so deal with the poor and needy. There is 
imple provision for all such in the gracious expression, 
•'such as he can get; even such as he is able to get." 
Most exquisite grace I " To the poor the gospel is 
preached." None can say, " the blood of Jesus was 
beyond me." Each can be challenged with the inquiry, 
''how near would you have it brought to you?" "I 
bring near my righteousness." How '' near ?" So near, 
that it is " to him that worketh not, but believeth on 
him that justifieth the ungodly." (Rom. iv. 5.) Again, 
"the word is nigh thee." How "nigh?" So nigh 
" that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God bath 
raised him from the dead, thou ©halt be saved." (Rom. 
X.. 9.) So also that most touching and beautiful invi- 
tation, '^ Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the 
waters, and he that hath no money. ^^ (Is. Iv. 1.) 

What matchless grace shines in the expressions, " to 
him that worketh not,^^ and, "he thai hath no money P^ 
They are as like God as they are unlike man. Salvation 
is as free as the air we breathe. Did we create the air ? 
Did we mingle its component parts? No; but we 
enjoy it, and, by enjoying it, get power to live and act 
for Him who made it. So is it in the matter of salva- 
tion. "We get it without a fraction, without an effort 





226 LEVITICUS. 

We feed upon the wealth of another ; we rest iu the 
work finished by another ; and, moreover, it is by so 
feeding and resting, that we are enabled to work for 
Him on whose wealth we feed, and in whose work we 
rest This is a grand Gospel paradox, perfectly inex- 
plicable to legality, but beautifully plain to faiih. Divine 
grace delights in making provision for those who are 
** not able " to make provision for themselves. 

But, there is another invaluable lesson furnished by 
this twelfth chapter of Leviticus. We not only read, 
herein, the grace of God to the poor, but, by compar- 
ing Hs closing verse with Luke ii. 24, we learn the 
amazing depth to which God stooped in order to mani- 
fest that grace. The Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest 
in the flesh, the pure and spotless Lamb, the Holy One, 
who knew no sin, was '' made of a woman," and that 
woman — w^ondrous mystery! — having borne in her 
womb, and brought forth, that pure and perfect, that 
holy and spotless human body, had to undergo the 
usual ceremonial, and accomplish the days of her puri- 
fication, according to the law of Moses. And not only 
do we read divine grace in the fact of her having thus 
to purify herself, but also the mode in which this was 
accomplished. " And to offer a sacrifice according to 
that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of 
turtle doves or two yowig pi{)con^.^'' From this sin)ple 
circumstance we learn that the reputed parents of our 
blessed Lord Jesus were so poor, as to be obliged to 
take advantage of the gracious provision made for those 
wh^se means did not afford ** a lamb for a Ijurnt orTer 
Ing." What a thought! The Lord of Glory, the 
most Hiirh God, Possessor of heaven and earth, the 



O0*» 



CHAPTER XII. 22 

One to whom pertained " the cattle upon a thousand 
hills" — yea, the wealth of the universe — appeared in 
the world which His hands had made, in the narrow 
circumstances of humble life. The Levitical economy 
had made provision for the poor, and the mother of 
Jesus availed herself thereof. Truly, there is a pro- 
found lesson in this for the human heart. The Lord 
Jesus did not make his appearance, in this world, in 
connection with the great or the noble. He was pre- 
eminently a poor man. He took His place with the 
poor. **For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for our sa^es he 
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.^^ 
(2 Cor. viii. 9.) 

May it ever be our joy to feed upon this precious 
'grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which we have been 
made rich for time and for eternity. He emptied Him- 
self of all that love could give, that we might be filled. 
He stripped Himself that we might be clothed. He 
died, that we might live. He, in the greatness of His 
grace, travelled down from the height of divine wealth 
into the depth of human poverty, in order that we might 
be raised from the dunghill of nature's ruin, to take our 
place amid the princes of His people, for ever. Oh ! 
that the sense of this grace, wrought in our hearts by 
the power of the Holy Ghost, may constrain us to a 
more unreserved surrender of ourselves to Him, to wliom 
we owe our present and everlasting felicity, our riches, 
our life, our all 1 



S28 LEVITICUS. 



CHAPTERS XIIL, XIV. 

Of all the functions which, according to the Mosaic 
ritual, the priest had to discharge, none demanded more 
patient attention, or more strict adherence to the divine 
guide-book, than the discernment and proper treatment 
of leprosy. This fact must be obvious to every one who 
studies, with any measure of care, the very extensive 
and important section of our book at which we have now 
arrived. 

There were two things which claimed the priest's vigi- 
lant care, namely, the purity of the assembly, and the 
grace which could not admit of the exclusion of any 
member, save on the most clearly-established grounds. 
Holiness could not permit any one to remain in w^ho 
ought to be out; and, on the other hand, grace w^ould not 
have any one out who ought to be in. Hence, therefore, 
there was the most urgent need, on the part of the 
priest, of watchfulness, calmness, wisdom, patience, ten- 
derness, and enlarged experience. Things might seem 
trifling which, in reality, were serious; and things might 
look like leprosy which were not it at all. The greatest 
care and coolness w^ere needed. A judgment rashly 
formed, a conclusion hastily arrived at, might involve 
the most serious consequences, either as regards the 
assembly or some individual member thereof. 

This will account for the frequent occurrence of such 
expressions as the following, namely, " The priest shah 
look;" — '* The priest shall shut up him that hath the 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 229 

plague seven days;^^ — '^And the priest shall look ou 
him the seventh clay;" — "Then the priest shall shut 
him up seven days more;^^ — "And the priest shall look 
on him again the seventh day;" — " And the priest shal' 
see him; " — " Then the priest shall consider. '^^ No ease 
was to be hastily judged, or rashly decided. No opinion 
was to be formed from mere hearsay. Personal obser- 
vation, priestly discernment, calm reflection, strict ad- 
herence to the written word — the holy, infallible guide- 
book — ^all these things were imperatively demanded of 
the priest, if he would form a sound judgment of each 
case. He was not to be guided by his own thoughts, his 
own feelings, his own wisdom, in any thing. He had 
ample guidance in the word, if only he was subject 
thereto. Every point, every feature, every movement, 
every variation, every shade and character, every pecu- 
liar symptom and affection — all was provided for, with 
diving fulness and forethought; so that the priest only 
needed to be acquainted with, and subject to, the word 
in all things, in order to be preserved from ten thousand 
mistakes. 

Thus much as to the priest and his holy responsi- 
bilities. 

We shall now consider the disease of leprosy, as de- 
veloped in a person, in a garment, or in a house. 

Looking at this disease in q, physical point of view, 
nothing can possibly be more loathsome; and being, so 
far as man is concerned, totally incurable, it furnishes a 
most vivid and appalling picture of sin — sin in one's 
nature — sin in his circumstances — sin in an assembly. 
What a lesson for the soul in the fact tJiat such a vile 
and humiliating disease should be used us a type of 
20 



230 LEVITICUS. 

moral evil, whether in a member of GocVs assembly, in 
the circumstances of any member, or in the assembly 
itself I 

I. And ilrst, then, as to leprosy in a person; or, in 
other words, the working of moral evil, or of that which 
might seem to be evil, in any member of the assembly. 
This is a matter of grave aud solemn import — a matter 
demanding the utmost vigilance and care on the part of 
all who are concerned in the good of souls and in the 
glory of God, as involved in the well-being and purity 
of His assembly as a whole, or of each individual mem- 
ber thereof 

It is important to see that, while the broad principles 
of leprosy and its cleansing apply, in a secondary sense, 
to any sinner, yet, in the scripture now before us, the 
matter is presented in connection with those who were 
God's recognized people. The person who is here seen 
as the subject of priestly examination, is a member of 
the assembly of God. It is well to apprehend this. 
God's assembly must be kept pure, because it is His 
dwelling-place. 2Co leper can be allowed to remain 
within the hallowed precincts of Jehovah's habitation. 

But, then, mark the care, the vigilance, the perfect 
patience, inculcated upon the priest, lest aught that was 
not leprosy might be treated as such, or lest aught that 
really was leprosy might be suffered to escape. Many 
things might appear '' in the skin " — the place of mani- 
festation — '' like the plague of leprosy," v/hich, upon 
patient, priestly investigation, would be found to be 
merely superficial. This was to be carefully attended to. 
Some blemish might make its appearance, upon the sur- 
fa/ e, whi("-h, through demanding the jealous care of the 



CHAPTERS Xni., XIV. ^31 

one who had to act for God, was not, in reality, defilin?^. 
And, yet, that which seemed but a superticial blemish 
might prove to be something deeper than the skin, some- 
thing below the surface, something aflecting the hidden 
springs of the constitution. All this claimed the most 
intense care on the part of the priest. (See ver. 2 — II.) 
Some slight neglect, some trifling oversight, might lead 
to disastrous consequences. It might lead to the defile- 
ment of the assembly, by the presence of a confirmed 
leper, or to the expulsion, for some superficial blemioh, 
of a genuine member of the Israel of God. 

^ow, there is a rich fund of instruction in all this 
for tlie people of God. There is a dillenuice between 
personal infirmity and the positive energy of evil — 
between mere defects and blemishes in the outward 
character, and the activity of sin in ihe mc^mbers. No 
doubt, it is important to wa;ch against our infirmities; 
for, if not watched, judged, and guarded against, they 
may become the source (;f" ]50si-.;vc vv.\. (See ver. 14 — 
28 ) Everyth'ng of natu e must be judged and kept 
down. We must not nuikc iiny allowance lor p(U'sonal 
infirmity, in oursrlrr.^, ; hough we sh!)uld mnke ample 
allowance for it vi (//icrs. Take, for example, the mat- 
ter of an irritable temper. 1 should judge it in myself; 
I should make allowance (or ii in ano.her. It may, 
like "the burning boll." in ih<' cii^r of an Israelite, (ver. 
19. 20.) prov(^ the source of n^a! dcfjlenicnt — the ground 
of exclusion from the assemlily. lOvery form of weak- 
ness must be watched, i^st it Ijecome a!) occasion of sin. 
"A bald forehead"' was no' lepi'o.-^y. bui it was that in 
which leprosy m.ighi a])pear. and \\o:\ci' it had to be 
wati bed. There may be a hundred things which are 



232 LEVITICUS. 

^ot, in theDiselves, sinful, but which may become the 
occasion of sin, if not diligently looked after. Nor is 
it merely a question of what, in our estimation, may be 
termed blots, blemishes, and personal infirmities, but 
even of what our hearts might feel disposed to boast of 
Wit, humor, vivacity of spirit and temper; all these 
may become the source and centre of defilement. Each 
one has something to guard against— something to keep 
him ever upon the watch-tower. How happy it is that 
we have a Father's heart to come to and count on, with 
respect to all such things I We have the precious 
privilege of coming, at all times, into the presence of 
unrebuking, unupbraiding love, there to tell out all, and 
obtain grace to help in all, and full victory over all. 
We need not be discouraged, so long as we see such a 
motto inscribed on the door of our Father's treasury, 
''Hegiveth more grace." Precious motto! It has no 
limit. It is bottomless and boundless. 

We shall now proceed to inquire what was done 
in every case in which the plague of leprosy was 
unquestionably and unmistakably defined. The God of 
Israel could bear with infirmity, blemish, and failure; 
but the moment it became a case of defilement, whether 
in the head, the board, the forehead, or any other part, 
it could not be tolera^vd in the holy assembly. '* The 
feper, in w^hom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, 
and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon 
his upper lip, and shall cry. Unclean, unclean. All the 
days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be 
defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without 
the camp shall his habitation be." (Ver. 45, 46.) Here 
W9S the leper's condition — the leper's occupation— th.*? 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 233 

leper's place. With rent garments, bare head, and 
covered lip; crying, Unclean, unclean; and dwelling 
outside, in the dreary solitude, the dismal desert waste. 
What could be more humiliating, what more depressing 
than this? *'He shall dwell alone." He was unfit for 
communion or companionship. He was excluded from 
the only spot, in all the world, in which Jehovah's pres- 
ence was known or enjoyed. 

Reader, behold, in the poor, solitary leper, a vivid 
type of one in whom sin is working. This is really 
what it means. It is not, as we shall see presently, a 
helpless, ruined, guilty, co|ivicted sinner, whose gaili 
and misery have come thoroughly out, and who is, 
therefore, a fit subject for the love of God, and the blood 
of Christ. No ; we see in the excluded leper, one in 
whom sin is actually working — one in wiom there is 
the positive energy of evil. This is what defiles and 
shuts out from the enjoyment of the divine presence 
and the communion of saints. So long as sin is work- 
ing, there can be no fellowship with God, or with His 
people. ''He shall dwell alone; without the camp 
shall his habitation be." How long? "All the days 
wherein the plague shall be in him." This is a great 
practical truth. The energy of evil is the death-blow 
to communion. There may be the outward appearance, 
the mere form, the hollow profession; but communion 
there can be none, so long as the energy of evil is there. 
It matters not what the character or amount of the evil 
may be, if it were but the weight of a feather, if it were 
but some foolish thought, so long as it continues to 
work, it must hinder communion, it must cause a sus- 
pens'on o*" fellowship It is when it rises to a head 



234 LEVITICUa 

when it comes to the surface, when it is brought thor- 
oughly out, that it can be perfectly met and put away 
by the grace of God and by the blood of the Lamb. 

This leads us to a deeply-interesting point in con- 
nection with the leper — a point which must prove a 
complete paradox to all save those who understand 
God's mode of dealing with sinners. '' And if a leprosy 
break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy covei all 
the skin of him that hath the plague, from his head 
even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; then 
the priest shall consider; and, behold, if the leprosy 
have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean 
that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is 
clean." (Chap. xiii. 12, 13.) The moment a sinner is 
in his true place before God, the whole question is 
settled. Directly his real character is fully brought 
out, there is no further difficulty. He may have to 
pass through much painful exei'cise, ere he reaches this 
point — exercise consequent upon his refusal to take lii.s 
true place — to bring cut ** all the truth," with respect 
to what he is ; but the moment he is brought to <ay, 
from his heart, ''jud as I am,''' the free grace of God 
flows down to him. '' When I kept silence, my hones 
waxed old, through my roaring all the day long. For 
day and night thy hand was h^-av}^ upon me: my 
moisture is turned into the drought of summer.'' ''Ps. 
xxxii. 3, 4.) How long did this painful exercise con- 
tinue? Until the whole truth was brought out — until 
all that which was working inwardly came fully to the 
surface. "■ I acknowledged mv sin unto thee, and mine 
iniquHy have I not bid. 1 said, I will confess my trans- 
gressions unto -he Lord ; and thou forgavest the iniquity 
of my sin " (Yer. 5 ) 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV 235 

It is deeply interesting to mark the progress of the 
Lord's dealing with the leprous man, from the moment 
that the suspicion is raised, by certain features in the 
place of manifestation, until the disease covers the whole 
man, ** from the crown of the head unto the sole of the 
foot.^' There was no haste, and no indifference. God 
ever enters the place of judgment with a slow and 
measured pace ; but when Ho does enter, He must act 
according to the claims of His nature. He can patiently 
investigate. He can wait for *' seven days; " and should 
there be the slightest variation in the symptoms, He can 
wait for ''seven days more;" but, the moment it is 
found to be the positive working of leprosy, there can 
be no toleration. *' Without the camp shall his habita- 
tion be." How long ? Until the disease comes fully to 
the surface. *' If the leprosy have covered all his flesh, 
he shall pronounce him clean." This is a most precious 
and interesting point. The very smallest speck of 
leprosy was intolerable to God; and yet, when the whole 
man was covered, from head to foot, he was pronounced 
clean — that is, he was a proper subject for the grace of 
God and the blood of atonement. 

Thus is it, in every case, with the sinner. Gcd is " of 
purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look upon 
niquity;" (Hab. i. 13;) and yet, the moment a sinner 
takes his true place, as one thoroughly lost, guilty, and 
undone — as one in whom there is not so much as a sin- 
gle point on which the eye of Infinite Holiness can rest 
with complacency — as one who is so bad, that he can- 
not, possibly, be worse, there is an immediate, a perfect, 
a divine settlement of the entire matter. The grace of 
God ieals with sinners; and when I know myself to be 



236 LEVITICtJS. 

a sinner, I know myself to be one whom Christ came 1 1 
save. The more clearly any one can prove me to be i 
sinner, the more clearly he establishes my title to th y 
love of God, and the work of Christ. '' For Christ" 
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, 
that he might bring us to God." (1 Pet. iii. 18.) Now, 
if lam *' unjust;" I am one of those very people foi 
whom Christ died, and I am entitled to all the benefits 
of His death. *' There is not a just man upon earth ;^* 
and, inasmuch as I am '' upon earth," it is plain that I 
am ^* unjust;" and it is equally plain that Christ died 
for me — that he suffered for my sins. Since, therefore, 
Christ died for me, it is my happy privilege to enter 
into the immediate enjoyment of the fruits of His sacri- 
fice. This is as plain as plainness itself. It demands 
no effort whatsoever. I am not called to be anything 
but just what I am. I am not called to feel, to experi- 
ence, to realize anything. The word of God assures me 
that Christ died for me just as I am; and if He died for 
me I am as safe as He is Himself. There is nothing 
against me. Christ met all. He not only suffered for 
mv " szns," but He ^^rnade an end of si?i." He abol 
ished the entire svtera in Avhich, as a child of the first 
Adam, I stood, and He has introduced me into a new 
position, in association with Himself, and there I stand, 
before God, free from all charge of sin, and all fear of 
judgment 

Just as I am — witlioiit one plea, 
But that thy blood was shed for me, 
And that thou bidst me come to thee, 
O Lamb of God, I come ! 

Hew do I know that His blood was shed for me ? Bj 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 231 

we Scriptures. Blessed, solid, eternal ground of know- 
ledge! Christ suffered for sins. I have gotten sins. 
Christ died ''the just for the unjust." I am unjust 
Wherefore, the death of Christ appropriates itself to me, 
as fully, as immediately, a^d as divinely, as though I 
were the only sinner upon earth. It is not a question 
of my appropriation, realization, or experience. Many 
souls harass themselves about this. How often has one 
heard such language as the following, '' Oh ! I believe 
that Christ died for sinners, but I cannot realize that 
my sins are forgiven. I cannot apply, I cannot appro- 
priate, I do not experience the benefit of Christ's death." 
All this is self and not Christ. It is feeling and not 
Scripture. If we search from cover to cover of the 
blessed volume, we shall not find a syllable about being 
saved by realization, experience, or appropriation. The 
Gospel applies itself to all who are on the ground of 
being lost. Christ died for sinners. That is just what 
I am. Wherefore, He died for me. How do I know 
this? Is it because I feel it? By no means. How 
^hen ? By the word of God. ''Christ died for our sins, 
according to the Scriptures; he was buried and rose 
again the third day, according to the Scriptures." (1 
Cor. XV. 3, 4.) Thus it is all " according to the Scrip- 
tures." If it were according to our feelings, we should 
be in a deplorable way, for our feelings are hardly the 
same for the length of a day; but the Scriptures are 
ever the same. " For ever, Lord, thy word is settled 
in heaven." "Thou hast magnified thy word above all 
thy name." 

No doubt, it is a very happy thing to realize, to feel, 
and to experience; ^ut, if we put these things in the 



238 LBVITI0U8. 

place of Christ, we shall neither have them nor the 

Christ that yields them. If I am occupied with Christ, 
1 shall realize ; but if I put my realization in place of 
Christ, I shall have neither the one nor the other. 
This is the sad condition of thousands. Instead of 
resting on the stable authority of '' the Scriptures,'^ they 
are ever looking into their own hearts, and, hence, they 
are always uncertain and, as a consequence, always un- 
happy. A condition of doubt is a condition of torture. 
But how can I get rid of ray doubt ? Simply by rely- 
ing on the divine authority of "the Scriptures." Of 
what do the Scriptures testify ? Of Christ. (John v.) 
They declare that Christ died for our sins, and that 
He was raised again for our justification. (Rom. iv.) 
This settles everything. The self-same authority that 
tells me I am unjust, tells me also that Christ died for 
me. Nothing can be plainer than this. If I were aught 
else than unjust, the death of Christ would not be for 
me, at all, but being unjust, it is divinely fitted, 
divinely intended, and divinely applied to me. If I am 
occupied with anything in, of, or about myself, it is 
plain I have not entered into the full spiritual applica- 
tion of Lev. xiii. 12, 13. I have not come to the 
Lamb of God, ''just as I anV^ It is when the leper is 
covered from head to foot that he is on the true ground. 
It is there and there alone that grace can meet him. 
"Then the priest shall consider; and, behold, if the 
leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce 
him clean that hath the plague : it is all turned white : 
he is clean." Precious truth! '* Where sin abounded 
grace did much more abound." So long as I think 
there is a single spot which is not covered witfc the 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 239 

direful disease, I have not come to the end of myself 
It is when my true condition is fully disclosed to my 
view, that I really understand the meaning of salvation 

by grace. 

The force of all this will be more fully apprehended 
when we come to consider the ordinances connected 
with the cleansing of the leper, in chapter xiv. of our 
book. We shall, now, briefly enter upon the questicn 
of leprosy in a garment, as presented in chapter xiii. 
47—59. 

II. The garment or skin suggests to the mind the 
idea of a man's circumstances or habits. This is a 
deeply practical point. We are to watch against the 
working of evil in our ways just as carefully as against 
evil in ourselves. The same patient investigation is 
observable with respect to a garment as in the case of 
a person. There is no haste ; neither is there any in- 
difierence. '' The priest shall look upon the plague, and 
shut up it that hath the plague seven days." There 
must be no indifference, no indolence, no carelessness. 
Evil may creep into our habits and circumstances, in 
numberless ways; and, hence, the moment we perceive 
aught of a suspicious nature, it must be submitted to 
a calm, patient process of priestly Investigation. It 
must be '' shut up seven days," in order that it may 
have full time to develop itself perfectly. 

'' And he shall look on the plague on the seventh 
ilay : if the plague be spread in the garment, either in 
he warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work 
bar is made of skin, the plague Is a fretting leprosy; 
r i?^ unclean He shall therefore burn that garment." 
The wrong habit must be given up, the moment I 



240 LEVITICUS. 

discover it. If I find myself in a thoroughly wrong 
poisition, I must abandon it. The burning of the gar* 
cient expresses the act of judgment upon evil, whether 
in a man's habits or circumstances. There must be no 
trifling with evil. In certain cases the garment was to 
be "washed," which expresses the action of the Word 
of God upon a man's habits. " Then the pi'iest shall 
command that they wash the thing wherein the plague 
is, and he shall shut it up seven days more,'^^ There is 
to be patient waiting in order to ascertain the effect of 
the AVord. ''And the priest shall look on the plague, 
alter that it is washed ; and, behold, if the plague have 
not changed .... thou shalt burn it in the fire.'' When 
there is any thing radically and irremediably bad in 
one's position or habits, the whole thing is to be given 
up. " And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague 
be somewhat dark after the washing of it ; then he 
shall rend it out of the garment." The Word may 
produce such an effect as that the wrong features in a 
man's character, or the WTong points in his position, 
shall be given up, and the evil be got rid of; but if the 
evil continue, after all, the whole thing must be con- 
demned and set aside. 

There is a rich mine of practical inr^truction in all 
this. We must look w^ell to the position which we 
occupy, the circumstances in which we stand, the habits 
we adopt, the character we wear. There is special 
need of w^atchfulness. Every suspicious symptom and 
trait must be sedulously guarded, lest it should prove, 
in the sequel, to be '' a fretting " or *' sprt3ading leprosy," 
vheroby we ourselves and many others may be defiled. 
We may be placed in a position attached to which there 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 241 

are certain wrong things which can be given up, with- 
out entirely abandoning the position ; and, on the other 
hand, we may find ourselves in a situation in which it 
is impossible to ^' abide with God." Where the eye is 
single, the path will be plain. Where the one desire 
of the heart is to enjoy the divine presence, we shall 
easi y discover those things which tend to deprive us of 
th it unspeakable blessing. 

May our hearts be tender and sensitive. May we 
cultivate a deeper, closer walk with God; and may we 
3arefully guard against every form of defilement, whether 
in person, in habit, or in association I 

We shall, now, proceed to consider the beauteous and 
significant ordinances connected with the cleansing of 
the leper, in which we shall find some of the most pre- 
cious truths of the gospel presented to us. 

'* And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, This shall 
be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing : he 
shall be brought unto the priest; and the priest shall 
go forth out of the camp." (Chap. xiv. 1 — 3.) We 
have already seen the place which the leper occupied. 
He was outside the camp, in the place of moral distance 
from God — from His sanctuary and His assembly. 
Moreover, he dwelt in dreary solitude, in a condition of 
uncleanness. He was beyond the reach of human aid ; 
and, as for himself, he could only communicate defile- 
ment to every one and every thing he touched. It was, 
therefore, obviously impossible that he could do aught 
to cleanse himself. If, indeed, he could only defile by 
his very touch, how could he possibly cleanse himself? 
How could he contribute towards, or co-operate in, his 
cleansing ? Impossible. As an unclean leper, he could 
21 P 



24 2 LEVITICUS. 

not do so much as a single thing for hunself ; all had to 
be doue/o?' him. He could not make his way to God, 
but God could make His way to him. He was shut 
up to God. There was no help for him, either in hint 
self or in his fellow-man. It is clear that one leper could 
not cleanse another ; and it is equally clear that if a leper 
touched a clean person he rendered him unclean. His 
only resource was in God. He was to be a debtor to 
grace for everything. 

Hence we read, '' The priest shall go forth out of the 
camp." It is not said, ''the leper shall go." This was 
wholly out of the question. It was of no use talking 
to the leper about going or doing. He was consigned 
to dreary solitude ; whither could he go ? He was m 
volved in helpless defilement; what could he do? He 
might long for fellowship and long to be clean ; but his 
longings w^ere those of a lonely helpless leper. He might 
make efforts after cleansing ; but his efforts could but 
prove him unclean, and tend to spread defilement. Be- 
fore ever he could be pronounced " clean," a work had to 
be wrought for him — a work which he could neither do 
nor help to do — a work which had to be wholly accom- 
plished by another. The leper was called to "stand 
still," and behold the priest doing a work in virtue of 
which the leprosy could be perfectly cleansed. The 
priest accomplished all. The leper did nothing. 

" Then shall the priest command to take for him that 
is to be cleansed, two birds, alive and clean, and cedar- 
wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. And the priest shall 
command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen 
vessel over running water." In the priest going forth 
from the camp — forth from God's dwelling place — we 



CHAPTERS XIII., xrv. 213 

behold the blessed Lord Jesus coming down from lh« 
bosom of the Father, Ilis eternal dwelling-place, into 
this polluted world of ours, where He beheld us sunk 
in the polluting leprosy of sin. He, like the good 
Samaritan, *'came where we were." He did not come 
half-way, merely. He did not come nine-tenths of the 
way. He came all the way. This was indispensable. 
He could not, consistently with the holy claims of the 
throne of God, have bidden our leprosy to depart had 
He remained in the bosom. He could call worlds into 
existence by the word of His mouth ; but when leprous 
sinners had to be cleansed, something more was needed. 
*' God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 
Son." When worlds were to be framed, God had but 
to speak. When sinners had to be saved, He had to 
give His Son. '' In this was manifested the love of Goq 
towards us, because that God sent his only begotten 
Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved 
us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.'' 
(1 John iv. 9, 10.) 

But there was far more to be accomplished than the 
mission and incarnation of the Son. It would have 
availed the leper but little indeed, had the priest merely 
gone forth from the camp and looked upon his low and 
forlorn condition. Blood shedding was essentially ne- 
cessary ere leprosy could be removed. The death of a 
spotless victim was needed. '' Without shedding of 
blood is no remission." (Heb. ix. 22.) And, be it 
observed, that the shedding of blood was the real basis* 
of the leper's cleansing. It was not a mere eircura- 
stance which, in conjunction with others, contributed to 



244 LE\r[TICUS. 

the leper's cleansing. By no means. The giving up A 
the life was the grand and all-important fact. When 
this was accomplished the way was open; every barrier 
was removed; God could deal in perfect grace with the 
leper. This point should be distinctly laid hold of, if 
my reader would fully enter into the glorious doctrine of 
the blood. 

^' And the priest shall command that one of the birds 
be killed in an earthen vessel over running water.'' 
Here we have the acknowledged type of the death of 
Christ, ''who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself 
without spot to God." " He was crucified in weakness." 
(Heb. ix.; 2 Cor. xiii.) The greatest, the mightiest, the 
most glorious, the most momentous work that ever was 
accomplished, throughout the wide universe of God, was 
wrought '' in weakness." Oh ! my reader, how terrible 
a thing must sin be, in the judgment of God, when His 
own beloved Son had to come down from heaven, and 
hang upon yonder cursed tree, a spectacle to men, to 
angels, and to devils, in order that you and I might be 
forgiven 1 And what a type of sin have we in leprosy ? 
Who would have thought that that little " bright spot" 
appearing on the person of some member of the con- 
gregation was a matter of such grave consequence ? 
13ut, ah! that little ''bright spot" was nothing less 
than the energy of evil, in the place of manifestation. 
It was the index of the dreadful working of sin in the 
nature ; and ere that person could be fitted for a place 
in the assembly, or for the enjoyment of communion 
with a holy GoJ, the Son of God had to leave those 
bright heavens, a ad descend into the lowest parts of the 
earth, in order to make a full atonement for that wliicb 



CHAPTERS yilT., XIV. 245 

exhibited itself merely in the form of a little '' bright 
ppot." Let us remember this. Sin is a dreadful thing 
in the estimation of God. He cannot tolerate so much 
as a single sinful thought. Eefore one such thought 
could be forgiven, Christ had to die upon the cross. 
The most trifling sin, if any sin can be called trifling, 
demanded nothing less than the death of God's Eternal 
and Coequal Son. But, eternal praise be to God, what 
sin demanded, redeeming love freely gave ; and now God 
is inOnitely more glorified in the forgiveness of sin than 
He could have been had Adam maintained his original 
innoccncy. God is more glorified in the salvation, the 
pardon, the justification, the preservation, and final 
glorification of guilty man, than He could have been in 
maintaining an innocent man in the enjoyment of crea- 
tion blessings. Such is the precious mystery of redemp- 
tion. May our hearts enter, by the power of the Holy 
Ghost, into the living and profound depths of this won- 
drous mystery 1 

*' As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar 
wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip 
them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that 
was killed over the running water. And he shall 
sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy 
seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall 
let the living bird loose into the open field." The blood 
being shed, the priest can enter directly and fully upon 
his work. Up to this, we read, '' the priest shall com- 
mand;" but now he acts immediately himself The 
death of Christ is the basis of His priestly ministration. 
Having entered with His own blood into the holy place, 
He acts <is our Great High Priest, applying to our soul& 



246 LEVITICUS. 

all the precious results of His atoning work, and main- 
taiaing us in the full and divine integrity of the position 
into which His sacrifice has introduced us. ''For every 
high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: 
wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewliat 
also to offer. For if he were on earth he should not be 
a priest." (Heb. viii. 3, 4.) 

We could hardly have a more perfect type of the 
resurrection of Christ than that presented in ''the 
living bird let loose into the open field." It was not let 
go until after the death of its companion ; for the two 
birds typify one Christ, in two stages of His blessed 
work, namely, death and resurrection. Ten thousand 
birds let loose would not have availed for the leper. It 
was that living bird, mounting upward into the open 
heavens, bearing upon his wing the significant token of 
accomplished atonement — it was that which told out the 
great fact that the work was done — the ground cleared, 
the foundation laid. Thus is it in reference to our 
blessed Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection declares 
the glorious triumph of redemption. "He rose again 
the third day according to the Scriptures." "He was 
raised again for our justification." It is this that sets 
the burdened heart free, and liberates the struggling 
conscience. The Scriptures assure me that Jesus was 
nailed to the cross under the weight of my sins ; but the 
same Scriptures assure ms that He rose from the grave 
without one of those sins upon Him. Nor is this alL 
The same Scriptures assure me that all who put their 
trust in Jesus are as free from all charge of guilt as He 
is; that there is no more wrath or condemnation for 
them than for Him 5 that they are in Him, one with 



CHAPTEllS Xni., XIV. 24t 

tlim. accepted in Him; co-quickened, co-raised, co- 
seated with Uim. Sucb is the peace-giving testimony 
of the Scriptures of truth — such, the record of God 
who cannot lie. (See Rom. vi. 6 — 11; viii. 1 — 4; 2 
Cor. V. 21; Eph. ii. 5, 6; Col. ii. 10—15; 1 John iv. 

But we have another most important truth set before 
us in verse 6 of our chapter. We not only see our full 
deliverance from guilt and condemnation, as beautifully 
exhibited in the living bird let loose, but we sec also our 
ent re deliverance from all the attractions of earth and 
all the influences of nature. '' The scarlet " would be 
the apt expression of the former, while " the cedar wood 
and hyssop " would set forth the latter. The cross is 
the end of all this world's glory. God presents it as 
such, and the believer recognises it as such. ** God for- 
bid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, 
and I unto the world." (Gal. vi. 14.) 

Then, as to the ''cedar wood and hyssop," they pre- 
sent to us, as it were, the two extremes of nature's wide 
range. Solomon "spake of trees, from the cedar tree 
that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth 
out of the wall." (1 Kings iv. 33.) From the lofty 
cedar which crowns the sides of Lebanon, down to the 
lowly hyssop— the wide extremes and all that lies be- 
tween — nature, in all its departments, is brought under 
\he power of the cross ; so that the believer sees, in the 
Jeath of Christ, the end of all his guilt, the end of all 
earth's glory, and the end of the whole system of nature 
—the entire old creation. And with what is he to be 
occupied ? With Him who is the Antitype of that 



248 LEVITICUS 

living bird, with blood-stained feathers, ascending iLtt 
the open heavens. Precious, glorious, soul-satis/ying 
object 1 A risen, ascended, triumphant, glorified Christ, 
who has passed into the heavens, bearing in His sacred 
Person the marks of an accomplished atonement. It is 
with Him we have to do. We are shut up to Him. 
He is God's exclusive object. He is the centre of 
heaven's joy, the theme of angels' song. We want none 
of earth's glory, none of nature's attractions. We can 
behold them all, together with our sin and guilt, for ever 
set aside by the death of Christ. We can well afford to 
dispense with earth and nature, inasmuch as we have 
gotten, instead thereof, '' the unsearchable riches of 
Christ." 

"And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be 
cleansed from the leprosy, seven times, and shall pro- 
nounce him clean, and shall let the bird loose into the 
open field." The more deeply w^e ponder over the con- 
tents of chap. xiii. the more clearly we shall see how 
utterly impossible it was for the leper to do aught 
towards his own cleansing. All he could do Avas to 
'' put a covering upon his upper lip; " and all he could 
say was, '' Unclean, unclean." It belonged to God, and 
to Him alone, to devise and accomplish a work whereby 
the leprosy could be perfectly cleansed; and, further, it 
belonged to God, and to Him alone, to pronounce the 
leper "clean." Hence it is written, "the priest shall 
sprinkle;" and "he shall pronounce him clean." It is 
not said, "the leper shall sprinkle, and pronounce, or 
imagine himself, clean." This would never do. God 
was the Judge — God was the Healer — God was the 
Cleanse^. He alone knew what leprosy was, how it 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 249 

could be j.ut away, and when to pronounce the leper 
clean. The leper might have gone on all his daj^s 
covered with leprosy, and yet be wholly ignorant of 
what was wrong with him. It was the word of God — 
the Scriptures of truth — the divine Record, that declared 
the full truth as to leprosy; and nothing short of the 
selfsame authority could pronounce the leper clean, and 
that, moreover, only, on the solid and indisputable 
ground of death and resurrection. There is the most 
precious connection between the three things in verse 7 : 
the blood is sprinkled, the leper pronounced clean, and 
the living bird let loose. There is not so much as a 
single syllable about what the leper was to do, to say, 
to think, or to feel. It was enough that he was a leper; 
a fully revealed, a thoroughly judged leper, covered from 
head to foot. This sufficed for him ; all the rest pertained 
to God. 

It is of all importance, for the anxious inquirer after 
peace, to enter into the truth unfolded in this branch of 
our subject. So many are tried by the question of feel- 
ing, realizing, and appropriating, instead of seeing, as 
in the leper's case, that ihe sprinkling of the blood was 
as independent and as divine as the shedding of it. It 
is not said, "The leper shall apply, appropriate, or 
realize, and then he shall be clean," By no means. 
The plan of deliverance was divine ; the provision of 
the sacrifice was divine; the shedding of the blood was 
divine : the record as to the result was divine : in short, 
it w^s all divine. 

It js not that we should undervalue realization, or, to 
speak more correctly, communion, through the Holy 
Ghost, with all the precious results of Christ's wori for 



250 LEVITICUS. 

US. Tar from it: we shall see, presentlv, the place 
assigned thereto, ia the divine economy. But ther, we 
are no more saved by realization, than the leper was 
cleansed by it. The gospel, by which we are saved, ia 
that *' Christ died for our sins, according to the Scrip- 
tures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again 
the third day, according to the Scriptures." There is 
nothing about realization here. No doubt, it is happy tc 
realize. It is a very happy thing for one, who was just 
on the point of being drowned, to realize himself in a 
Jife-boat ; but, clearly, he is saved by the boat and not by 
his realization. So it is with the sinner that believes on 
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is saved by death and 
resurrection. Is it because he realizes it ? No ; but 
because God says it. It is '' according to the Scrip- 
tures.^^ Christ died and rose again; and, on that 
p:round, God pronounces him clean. 

" No condemnation, 0, my soul I 
' Tis God that speaks the word,^^ 

1 ^is gives immense peace to the soul. I have to do 
VI ^th God's plain record, which nothing can ever shake. 
That record has reference to God's own work. It is He 
Himself, who has wrought all that was needful, in order 
to my being pronounced clean in His sight. My pardon 
no more depends upon my realization than upon any 
''works of righteousness that I have done;" and it no 
more depends upon my works of righteousness than it 
does upon my crimes. In a word, it depends, exclu- 
Bively, upon the death and resurrection of Christ. How 
do I know it ? God tells me. It is '' according to the 
Scriptures." 



CHAPTERS Xin., XIV. 251 

There are, perhaps, few things which disclose the 
ieep-seated l<?gality of our hearts, more strikingly, than 
thi3 oft-raised question of realization. We will have 
in something of self, and thus so sadly mar our peace 
and liberty in Christ. It is mainly because of this that 
I dwell, at such length, upon the beautiful ordinance of 
the cleansing of the leper, and especially on the truih 
unfolded in chapter xiv. 7. It was the priest that 
sprinkled the blood; and it was the priest that pro- 
nounced the leper clean. Thus it is in the case of the 
sinner. The moment he is on his true ground, the 
blood of Christ and the word of God apply themselves 
without any further question or difficulty whatever. 
But the moment this harassing question of realization 
is raised, the peace is disturbed, the heart depressed, 
and the mind bewildered. The more thoroughly I get 
done with self, and become occupied with Christ, as 
presented in ''the Scriptures," the more settled my 
peace will be. If the leper had looked at himself, when 
the priest pronounced him clean, would he have found 
any basis for the declaration ? Surely not. The sprinkled 
blood was the basis of the divine record, and not anv- 
thing in, or connected with, the leper. The leper was 
not asked how he felt, or what he thought. He was 
not questioned as to whether he had a deep sense of the 
vileness of his disease. He was an acknowledged leper ; 
that was enough. It was for such an one the blood 
was shed ; and that blood made him clean. How did he 
know this ? Was it because he felt it ? No ; but be- 
cause the priest, on God's behalf, and by His authority, 
told him so. The leper was pronounced clean on the 
very san?e g-ound that the living bird was set loose 



252 LEVITICUS- 

Tbe same blood which stained the feathers of that living 
bird was sprinkled upon the leper. This was a perfect 
seiUenient of the whole afiair, and that, too, in a man- 
ner entirely independent of the leper, the leper's thoughts, 
his feelings, and his realization. Such is the type. And 
when we look from the type to the Antitype, we see 
that our blessed Lord Jesus Christ entered heaven, and 
laid on the throne of God the eternal record of an ac- 
complished work, in virtue of which the believer enters 
also. This is a most glorious truth, divinely calculated 
to dispel from the heart of the anxious inquirer every 
doubt, every fear, every bewildering thought, and every 
harassing question. A risen Christ is God's exclusive 
object, and He sees every believer in Him. May every 
awakened soul find abiding repose in this emancipating 
truth. 

/' And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, 
and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, 
that he may be clean : and after that he shall come into 
the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent sev-en 
days.'' (Yer. 8.) The leper, being pronounced clean, 
can begin to do what he could not even have attempted 
CO do before, namely, to cleanse himself, cleanse his 
habits, shave off all his hair; and, having done so, he is 
privileged to take his place in the camp — the place of 
ostensible, recognized, public relationship with the God 
of Israel, w^hose presence in that camp it was which 
rendered the expulsion of the leper needful. The blood 
having been applied in its expiating virtue, there is the 
washing of water, which expresses the action of the 
word on the character, the habits, the ways, so as to 
ren^*^r the person, not only in God's view, but also in 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 253 

Ihe view of the congregation, morally and practically fit 
for a place in the public assembly. 

But, be it observed, the man, though sprinkled with 
blood and washed with water, and thus entitled to a 
position in the public assembly, was not permitted to 
enter his own tent. He was not permitted to enter 
upon the full enjoyment of those private, personal privi- 
leges, which belonged to his own peculiar place in the 
camp. In other words, though knowing redemption 
through the shed and sprinkled blood, and owning the 
word as the rule, according to which his person and all 
his habits should be cleansed and regulated, he had yet 
to be brought, in the power of the Spirit, into full, in- 
telligent communion with his own special place, portion, 
and privileges in Christ. 

I speak according to the doctrine of the tvpe ; and I 
feel 'it to be of importance to apprehend the truth un- 
folded therein. It is too often overlooked. There are 
many, who own the blood of Christ as the alone ground 
of pardon, and the word of God as that whereby alone 
their habits, ways, and associations are to be cleansed 
and ordered, who, nevertheless, are far from entering, by 
the power of the Holy Ghost, into communion with the 
preciousness and excellency of that One, whose blood 
has put away their sins, and Avhose word is to cleanse 
their practical habits. They are in the place of ostensi- 
ble and actual relationship ; but not in the power of per- 
sonal communion. It is perfectly true, that all believers 
are in Christ, and, as such, entitled to communion with 
the very highest truths. Moreover, they have the Holy 
Ghost, as ^he power of comraunion. A!l this is divinely 
22 



254 LEVITICUS. 

true ; but, then, there is not that entire setting aside of 
all that pertains to nature, which is really essential to 
the power of communion with Christ, in all the aspects 
of His character and work. In point of fact, this latter 
will not be fully known to any until '* the eighth day" — 
the day of resurrection-glory, when we shall know even 
as we are known. Then, indeed, each one for himself, 
and all together, shall enter into the full, unhindered 
power of communion with Christ, in all the precious 
phases of His Person, and features of His character, 
unfolded from verse 10 to 20 of our chapter. Such is 
the hope set before us ; but, even now, in proportion as 
we enter, by faith, through the mighty energy of the 
indwelling Spirit, into the death of nature and all per- 
taining thereto, we can feed upon and rejoice in Christ 
as the portion of our souls, in the place of individual 
communion. 

''But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall 
shave all his hair off his head, and his beard, and his 
eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he 
shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in 
water, and he shall be clean." (Yer. 9.) Now, it is 
clear, that the leper was just as clean, in God^s judg- 
ment, on the first day, when the blood was sprinkled 
upon him, in its sevenfold or perfect efficacy, as he was 
on the seventh day. Wherein, then, was the difference ? 
Not in his actual standing and condition, but in his 
personal intelligence and communion. On the seventh 
day, he was called to enter into the full and complete 
abolition of all that pertained to nature. He was 
ealkd to apprehend that, not merely was nature's 
leprosy to be put away, but nature's ornaments— -yea, 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 255 

all that was natural — all that belonged to the old eon» 
dition. 

It is one thing to know, as a doctrine, that God sees 
my nature to be dead, and it is quite another thing for 
me lo ^* reckon " myself as dead — to put off, practically, 
the old man and his deeds — to mortify my members 
which are on the earth. This, probably, is what many 
godly persons mean when they speak of progressive 
sanctification. They mean a right thing, though they 
do not put it exactly as the Scriptures do. The leper 
was pronounced clean, the moment the blood was 
sprinkled upon him ; and yet he had to cleanse himself. 
How was this ? In the former case, he was clean, in 
the judgment of God ; in the latter, he was to be clean 
practically, in his own personal intelligence, and in his 
manifested character. Thus it is with the believer. He 
is, as one with Christ, ''washed, sanctified, and justi- 
fied "—'* accepted " — "complete." (1 Cor. vi. 11; Eph. 
i. 6 ; CoL ii. 10.) Such is his unalterable standing 
and condition before God. He is as perfectly sanctified 
as he is justified, for Christ is the measure of both the 
one and the other, according to God's judgment and 
view of the case. But, then, the believer's apprehension 
of all this, in his own soul, and his exhibition thereof in 
his habits and ways, open up quite another line of 
things. Hence it is we read, '' Having therefore these 
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from 
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in 
the fear of God." (2 Cor. vii. 1.) It is because Christ 
has cleansed us by His precious blood that therefore we 
are called to '' cleanse ourselves " by the application of 
the word, through the Spirit. '* This is he that cami* 



256 LEVITICUS. 

by water and blood, Jesus Christ ; not by water only, 
but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that 
bearelh witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there 
are three that bear record, the Spirit, and the water, and 
the blood: and these three agree in one." (1 John v. 
6 — 8.) Here we have atonement by the blood, dean- 
sing by the word, and power by the Spirit, all founded 
upon the death of Christ, and all vividly foreshadowed 
in the ordinances connected with the cleansing of the 
leper. 

*' And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs 
without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year 
without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a 
meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. And 
the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man 
that is to be made clean, and those things, before the 
L^rd, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
And the priest shall take one he lamb, and ofier him for 
a 1 respasa offering, and the log of oil, and wave them 
for a wave offering before the Lord." (Ver. 10 — 12.) 
rh«r entire range of offerings is here introduced ; but it is 
the trespass offering which is first killed, inasmuch as 
the leper is viewed as an actual trespasser. This is true 
in every case. As those, who have trespassed against 
God, we need Christ as the one who atoned, on the 
cross, for those trespasses. ''Himself bare our sins in 
his own body on the tree." The first view which the 
fcinner gets of Christ is as the Antitype of the trespass 
ofiering. 

" And the priest shall take some of the blood of the 
trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the 
tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 25 1 

npon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great 
toe of his right foot." " The ear " — that guiliy member 
which had so frequently proved a channel of communi- 
cation for vanity, folly, and even uncleanness-~that ear 
n)ust be cleansed by the blood of the trespass offering. 
TJius all the guilt, which I have ever contracted by that 
member, is forgiven according to God's estimate of the 
blood of Christ. '' The right hand,^^ which had, so 
frequently, been stretched forth for the execution of 
deeds of vanity, folly, and even uncleanness, must be 
cleansed by the blood of the trespass offering. Thus all 
the guilt, ^vhich I have ever contracted by that member, 
is forgiven, according to God's estimate of the blood of 
Christ. " The foot^ which had so often run in the 
way of vanity, folly, and even uncleanness, must now 
be cleansed by the blood of the trespass offering, so 
that all the guilt, whieh I have ever contracted by 
that member, is forgiven, according to God's estimate 
of tb^ blood of Christ. Yes ; all^ all, all is forgiven — 
all 1? cancelled — all forgotten — all sunk as lead in the 
mighty waters of eternal oblivion. Who shall bring 
it up again? Shall angel, man, or devil, be able to 
plunge into those unfathomed and unfathomable waters, 
to bring up from thence those trespasses of *'foot," 
'*hand," or "ear," \vhich redeeming love has cast 
thereinto? Oh! no; blessed be God, they are gone, 
and gone for ever. I am better off, by far, than if 
Adam had never sinned. Precious truth! To be 
washed in the blood is better far than to be clothed in 
''Qnocency. 

But God could not rest satisfied with the mere blot- 
ting out of trespasses, by the atoning blood of Jesus. 

Q 



258 LEVITICUS. 

This, in itself, is a great thing ; but there is something 
greater still. 

"And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and 
pour it into the palm of his own left hand: and the 
priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his 
left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger 
seven times before the Lord. And of the rest of the 
oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip 
of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon 
the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of 
his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offer- 
ing; and the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's 
hand, he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be 
cleansed; and the priest shall make an atonement for 
him before the Lord." (Ver. 15—18.) Thus, not only 
are our members cleansed by the blood of Christ, but 
also consecrated to God, in the power of the Spirit. 
God's work is not only negative, but positive. The ear 
is no longer to be the vehicle for communicating defile- 
ment, but to be " swift to hear'' the voice of the Good 
Shepherd. The hand is no longer to be used as the 
instrument of unrighteousness, but to be stretched forth 
in acts of righteousness, grace, and true holiness. The 
foot is no longer to tread in folly's paths, but to run in 
the way of God's holy commandments. And, finally, 
the whole man is to be dedicated to God in the energy 
of the Holy Ghost. 

It is deeply interesting to see that " the oil " was pu^ 
** upon the blood of the trespass offering." The blouu 
of Christ is the divine basis of the operations of the 
Holy Ghost. The blood and the oil go together. As 
sinners we couM know nothing of the latter save on the 



CHAPTERS xin., XIV. 259 

ground of the former. The oil could not have been 
put upon the leper untU the blood of the trespass offer- 
ing had first been applied. *' In whom also, after that 
ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of 
promise." The divine accuracy of the type evokes the 
admiration of the renewed mind. The more closely we 
scrutinize it — ^the more of the light of Scripture we 
concentrate upon it— ^the more its beauty, force, and 
precision, are perceived and enjoyed. All, as might 
justly be expected, is in the most lovely harmony with 
the entire analogy of the word of God. There is no 
need for any effort of the mind. Take Christ as the 
key to unlock the rich treasury of the types; explore 
the precious contents by the light of Inspiration's 
heavenly lamp; let the Holy Ghost be your interpreter; 
and you cannot fail to be edified, enlightened, and 
blessed. 

*• And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make 
an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his 
uncleanness." Here we have a type of Christ, not 
only as the bearer of our trespasses, but also as the One, 
who made an end of sin, root and branch ; the One, who 
destroyed the entire system of sin — '' The Lamb of God, 
who taketh away the sin of the world." *^The propi- 
tiation for the whole world." As the trespass offering, 
Christ put away all my trespasses. As the sin offering. 
He met the great root from whence those trespasses 
emanated. He met all ; but it is as the trespass offer- 
ing I first know Him, because it is as such I first need 
Him. It is the '* conscience of sins " that first troubles 
me. This is divinely met by my precious Trespass 
Offering. Then, as I get on, I find that all these sina 



260 LEVITICUS. 

had a root, a parent stem, and that root or stem I find 
within me. This, likewise, is divinely met by my pre- 
cious Sin Offering. The order, as presented in the leper's 
ease, is perfect. It is precisely the order which we can 
trace in the actual experience of every soul. The tres- 
pass offering comes first, and then the sin offering. 

^'And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.'' 
This offering presents the highest possible aspect of the 
death of Christ. It is Christ offering Himself without 
spot to God, without special referenae to either tres- 
passes or sin. It is Christ in voluntary devotedness, 
walking to the cross, and there offering Himself as a 
sweet savor to God. 

'' And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the 
meat offering upon the altar : and the priest shall make 
an atonement for him, and he shall be clean." (Ver. 20.) 
The meat offering typifies ''the man Christ Jesus" in 
His perfect human life. It is intimately associated, in 
the case of the cleansed leper, with the burnt offering; 
and so it is in the experience of every saved sinner. It 
is when we know our t7^espasses are forgiven, and the 
root or principle of sin judged, that we can, according 
to our measure, by the power of the Spirit, enjoy com- 
munion with God about that blessed One, who lived a 
perfect human life, down here, and then offered Himself 
without spot to God on the cross. Thus, the four 
classes of offerings are brought before us in their divine 
order, in the cleansing of the leper — namely, the trespass 
offering, the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the meat 
offering, each exhibiting its own specific a.spect of our 
61essed Lord Jesus Christ. 

Here closes the record of the Lord's dealings with 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 261 

the leprous man; and, oh! what a marvellous record it 
is! What an unfolding of the exceeding balefulness 
of sin, the grace and holiness of God, the prrciousnesa 
of Christ's Person, and the efficacy of His work! 
Nothing can be more interesting than to mark the foot- 
prints of divine irrace forth from the hallowed precincts 
of the sanctuary, to the defiled place where the leper 
stood, with bare head, covered lip, and rent garments. 
God visited the leper, where he was; but He did not 
leave him there. He w^ent forth prepared to accomplish 
a work, in virtue of which he could bring the leper 
into a higher place, and higher communion than ever 
he had known before. On the ground of this work, the 
leper was conducted from h's place of defilement and 
lonehness to the very door of the tabernacle of the con- 
gregation, the priestly place, to enjoy priestly privileges. 
(Comp. Exod. xxix. 20, 21, 32.) How could he ever 
have climbed to such an elevation ? Impossible ! For 
aught he could do, he might have languished and died 
in his leprosy, had not the sovereign grace of the God 
of Israel stooped to lift him from the dunghill, to set 
him among the princes of His people. If ever there 
was a case in which the question of human effort, 
human merit, and human righteousness, could be fully 
tried and perfectly settled, the leper is, unquestionably, 
that ease. Indeed it wore a sad loss of time to discuss 
such a question in the presence of such a case. It must 
be obvious, to the most cursory reader, that nought but 
free grace, reigning through righteousness, could meet 
the leper's condition and the leper's need. And how 
gloriously and triumphantly did that' grace act! It 
travelled down into the deepest depths, that it might 



862 LEVITICUS. 

raise the leper to th3 loftiest heights. See what the 
leper lost, and see what he gained 1 He lost all that 
pertained to nature, and he gained the blood of atone- 
ment and the grace of the Spirit. I mean typically. 
Truly, he was a gainer, to an incalculable amount. He 
was infinitely better off than if he had never been 
thrust forth from the camp. Such is the grace of God 1 
Such the power and value, the virtue and eflScacy, of the 
blood of Jesus ! 

How forcibly does all this remind us of the prodigal, 
in Luke xv. I In him, too, leprosy had wrought and 
risen to a head. He had been afar off in the defiled 
place, where his own sins and the intense selfishness of 
the far country had created a solitude around him. 
But, blessed for ever be a Father's deep and tender love, 
we know how it ended. The prodigal found a higher 
place, and tasted higher communion than ever he had 
known before. *' The fatted calf" had never been slain 
for him before. " The best robe " had never been on 
him before. And how was this ? Was it a question of 
the prodigal's merit ? Oh ! no ; it was simply a question 
vf the Father's love. 

Dear reader, let me ask, can you ponder over the 
record of God's dealings with the leper, in Leviticus 
xiv., or the Father's dealings with the prodigal, in Luke 
XV., and not have an enlarged sense of the love that 
dwells in the bosom of God, that flows through the 
Person and work of Christ, that is recorded in the Scrip- 
tures of truth, and brought home to the heart by the 
Holy Ghost ? Lord grant us a deeper and more abiding 
fellowship with Himself! 

From verse 21 to 32 we have ''the law of him in 



CHAPTERS Xill., XIV. 26^ 

whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able 
to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing." This 
refers to the sacrifices of ''the eighth day," and not to 
the ** two birds alive and clean." These latter could not 
be dispensed with in any case, because they set forth 
the death and resurrection of Christ as the alone ground 
on which God can receive a sinner back to Himself. 
On the other hand, the sacrifices of *"the eighth day," 
being connected with the souPs communion, must, in 
some degree, be affected by the measure of the soul's 
apprehension. But, whatever that measure may be, 
the grace of God can meet it with those peculiarly- 
touching words, ''such as he is able to geV^ And, not 
Dnly so, but *' the two turtle doves " conferred the same 
privileges on the *'poor," as the two lambs conferred 
npon the rich, inasmuch as both the one and the other 
pointed to *' the precious blood of Christ," which is of 
infinite, changeless, and eternal efficacy in the judgment 
of God. All stand before God on the ground of death 
and resurrection. All are brought into the same place 
of nearness ; but all do not enjoy the same measure of 
communion — all have not the same measure of appre- 
hension of the preciousness of Christ in all the aspects 
of His work. They might, if they would; but they 
allow themselves to be hindered, in various ways. 
Earth and nature, with their respective influences, act 
prejudicially. The Spirit is grieved, and Christ is not 
rnjoyed as He might be. It is utterly rain to expect 
that, if we are living in the region of nature, we can be 
feeding upon Christ. No; there must he self emptiness, 
self-denial, self-judgment, if wo would habitually feed 
upon Christ. It is not a question of salvation. It is 



264 LEVITICUS. 

not a question of the leper introduced into the camp— 
the place of recognized relationship. By no means. Il 
is only a question of the souPs communion, of its enjoy- 
ment of Christ. As to this, the largest measure lies 
open to us. We may have communion with the very 
highest truths ; but, if our measure be small, the unup- 
braiding grace of our Father's heart breathes in the 
sweet words, "such as he is able to geV^ The title of 
all is the same, however our capacity may vary; and, 
blessed be God, when we get into His presence, all the 
desires of the new nature, in their utmost intensity, are 
satisfied; all the powers of the new nature, in their 
fullest range, are occupied. May we prove these things 
in our souPs happy experience, day by day I 

We shall close this section with a brief reference to 
the subject of leprosy in a house. 

III. The reader will observe, that a case of leprosy, 
in a person, or in a garment, might occur in the wilder- 
ness ; but, in the matter of a house, it was, of necessity, 
confined to the land of Canaan. "When ye be come 
into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a 
possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house 

of the land of your possession, then the priest 

shall command that they empty the house, before the 
priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in 
the house be not made unclean ; and afterward the priest 
shall go in to see the house. And he shall look on the 
plague ; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the 
house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in 
sight are lower tho,n the wall ; then the priest shall go 
out of the hou^e to the door of the house, and shut up 
the house seven days." 



CHAPTERS XIIT., XIV. 265 

Lcokiiig at the house as the type of an assombly, we 
have some weighty piinciples presented to us as to the 
divine metliod of dealing with moral evil, or suspicion 
of evil, in a congregation. We observe the same holy 
calmness and perfect patience with respect to the house, 
as we have already seen, in reference to the person or 
the garment. There was no haste, and no indifference, 
either as regards the house, the garment, or the indi- 
vidual. The man who had an interest in the house was 
not to treat with indifference any suspicious symptoms 
appearing in the wall thereof; neither was he to pro- 
nounce judgment himself upon such symptoms. It 
belonged to the priest to investigate and to judge. The 
moment that aught of a questionable nature made its 
appearance, the priest assumed a judicial attitude with 
respect to the house. The house was under judgment, 
though not condemned. The perfect period was to be 
allowed to run its course, ere any decision could be 
arrived at. The symptoms might prove to be merely 
superficial, in which case there would be no demand foi 
any action whatever 

''And the priest shall come again the seventh day, 
and shall look : and, behold, if the plague be spread in 
the walls of the house, then the priest shall command 
that they take away the stones in which the plague is, 
and they shall cast them into an unclean place without 
the city." The whole house was not to be condemned. 
The removal of the leprous stones was first to be tried. 

" And if tlie plague come again, and break out in the 

house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and 

after that he hath scraped the house, and after that it is 

plastered ; then the priest shall come and look ; and, be- 

23 



266 LEVITICUS. 

hold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting 
leprosy in the house : it is unclean. And he snail break 
down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, 
and all the mortar of the house ; and he shall carry them 
forth out of the city into an unclean place." Tho. case 
was hopeless, the evil irremediable, the whole building 
was annihilated. 

" Moreover, he that goeth into the house all the while 
that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. And 
he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes ; and he 
that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes." This 
is a solemn truth. Contact defiles ! Let us remember 
this. It was a principle largely inculcated under the 
Levitical economy ; and, surely, it is not less applicable 
now. 

" And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, 
and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, 
after the house was plastered; then the priest shall 
pronounce the house clean, because the plague is 
healed." The removal of the defiled stones, &c., had 
arrested the progress of the evil, and rendered all further 
judgment needless. The house was no longer to be 
viewed as in a judicial place ; but, being cleansed by 
the application of the blood, it was again fit for occupa- 
tion. 

And, now, as to the moral of all this. It is, at once, 
interesting, solemn, and practical. Look, for example, 
at the church at Corinth. It was a spiritual house, 
composed of spiritual stones; but, alas I the eagle eje 
of the apostle discerned upon its walls certain symptoms 
of a most suspicious nature. Was he indifferent? 
Surely not. He had imbibed far too much of the 



CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 267 

spirit of the Master of the house to admit, for one 
moment, of any such thing. But he was no more hasty 
than indiflferent. He commanded the leprous stone to 
be removed, and gave the house a thorough scraping. 
Having acted thus faithfully, he patiently awaited the 
result. And what was that result ? All that the heart 
could desire. ** Nevertheless, God, that comforteth 
those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming 
of Titus ; and not by his coming only, but by the con- 
solation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he 
told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent 

mind toward me ; so that I rejoiced the more 

In all things ye have approved yourselves to he clear in 
this matter.'*^ (Comp. 1 Cor. v. with 2 Cor. vii. 11.) 
This is a lovely instance. The zealous care of the apostle 
was amply rewarded ; the plague was stayed, and the 
assembly delivered from the defiling influence of unjudged 
moral evil. 

Take another solemn example. **And to the angel 
of the church in Pergamos write : These thing saith 
he that hath the sharp sword with two edges ; I know 
thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's 
seat is ; and thou boldest fast my name, and hast not 
denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas 
was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, 
where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against 
thee, because thou hast there them that hold the 
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Bala-k to cast a stum- 
bling block before the children of Israel, to eat things 
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So 
hast thou also them that h( Id the doctrine of the Nico- 
laitanes, which thing I hate. Repent ; or else I will 



268 LEVITICUS. 

come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with 
the sword of my mouth." (Rev. ii. 12 — 16.) Here 
tlio divine Priest stands in a judicial attitude with 
roi^pect to His house at Pergamos. He could not be 
indifferent to symptoms so alarming; but He patiently 
and graciously gives time to repent. If reproof, warn- 
ing, and discipline, prove unavailing, judgment must 
take its course. 

These things are full of practical teaching as to the 
doctrine of the assembly. The seven churches of Asia 
afford various striking illustrations of the house under 
priestly judgment. We should ponder them deeply and 
prayerfully. They are of immense value. We should 
never sit down, at ease, so long as aught of a suspicious 
nature is making its appearance in the assembly. We 
may be tempted to say, ''It is none of my business;" 
but it is the business of every one who loves the Master 
of the house to have a jealous, godly care for the purity 
of that house ; and if we shrink from the due exercise of 
this care, it will not be for our honor or profit, in the 
day of the Lord. 

I shall not pursue this subject any further in these 
pages ; and shall merely remark, in closing this section, 
that I do not doubt, in the least, that this whole subject 
of leprosy has a great dispensational bearing, not only 
upon the house of Israel, but also upon the prof ^seiag 
church. 



CHAPTER XV. 269 



CHAPTER XV. 

This chd-pter treats of a variety of ceremonial unclean« 
aesses of a much less serious nature than leprosy. This 
latter would seem to be presented as the expression of 
the deep-seated energy of nature's evil; whereas, chap. 
XV. details a number of things which are merely un- 
avoidable infirmities, but which, as being, in any meas- 
ure the outflow of nature, were defiling, and needed 
the provisions of divine grace. The divine presence in 
the assembly demanded a high order of holiness and 
moral purity. Every movement of nature had to be 
counteracted. Even things which, so far as man wa.s 
concerned, might seem to be unavoidable weaknesses, 
had a defiling influence, and required cleansing, because 
Jehovah was in the camp. Nothing offensive, nothing 
unsightly, nothing in any way uncomely, should be suf- 
fered within the pure, unsullied and sacred precincts of 
the presence of the God of Israel. The uncircumcised 
nations around would have understood nothing of such 
holy ordinances ; but Jehovah would have Israel holy, 
because He was Israel's God. If they were to be privi- 
leged and distinguished by having the presence of a holy 
God, they would need to be a holy people. 

Nothing can be more calculated to elicit the scuPs 
admiration than the jealous care of Jehovah over all the 
habits and practices of His people. At home and 
abroad, asleep and awake, by day and by night. He 
guarded them. He attended to their food. He attended 



270 LEVITICUS. 

to their clothing, He attended to their most minute and 
private concerns. If some trifling spot appeared upon 
the person, it had to be instantly and carefully looked 
into. In a word, nothing was overlooked which could^ 
in any wise, affect the well-being or purity of those 
with whom Jehovah had associated Himself, and in 
whose midst He dwelt. He took an interest in their 
most trivial affairs. He carefully attended to everj 
thing connected with them, whether publicly, socially, 
or privately. 

This, to an uncircumcised person, would have proved 
an intolerable burden. For such an one to have a God 
of infinite holiness about his path, by day, and about 
his bed, by night, would have involved an amount of 
restraint beyond all power of endurance ; but to a true 
[over of holiness, a lover of God, nothing could be more 
delightful. Such an one rejoices in the sweet assurance 
that God is always near ; and he delights in the holiness 
which is, at once, demanded and secured by the presence 
of God. 

Reader, say, is it thus with you ? Do you love the 
divine presence and the holiness which that presence 
demands? Are you indulging in anything incompati- 
ble with the holiness of God's presence? Are youi 
habits of thought, feeling, and action, such as comport 
with the purity and elevation of the sanctuary ? Re- 
member, when you read this fifteenth chapter of Loviti- 
cus, that it was Avritten for your learning. You are to 
read it in the Spirit, for to you it has a spiritual apjJica- 
tion. To read it in any other way is to wrest it to your 
own destruction, or, to use a ceremonial phrase "ta 
seethe a k" 1 in its mother's milk." 



CHAPTER XV. 2T1 

Do you ask, " What am I to learn from such a section 
of Scripture? What is its application to me?" In 
the first place, let me ask, do you not admit that it was 
written for your learning? This, I imagine, you will 
not question, seeing the inspired apostle so expressly 
declares that ^^ whatsoever things were written aforetime 
were written for our learning." (Rom. xv. 4.) Many 
seem to forget this important statement, at least, in so 
far as the Book of Leviticus is concerned. They cannot 
conceive it possible, that they are to learn aught from 
the rites and ceremonies of a by-gone age, and par- 
ticularly from such rites and ceremonies as the fifteenth 
of Leviticus records. But, when we remember, that 
God the Holy Ghost has written this very chapter — 
that every paragraph, every verse, every line of it *^ is 
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable," it 
should lead us to inquire what it means. Surely, what 
God has written His child should read. No doubt, 
there is need of spiritual power to know how, and 
spiritual wisdom to know when, to read such a chapter ; 
but the same holds good with respect to any chapter. 
\r thing is certain, if we were sufficiently spiritual, 
surticiently heavenly, sufficiently abstracted from nature, 
and elevated above earth, we should deduce nought but 
purely spiritual principles and ideas from this and 
kindred chapters. If an angel from heaven were to 
read such sections, how should he regard them ? Only 
in a spiritual and heavenly light; only as the deposi* 
{o.'ies of the purest and highest morality. And why 
should not we do the same ? I believe we are not aware 
of what positive contempt we pour upon the sacred 
Volume by suflTering any portion of it to be so grossly 



i 12 LEVITICUS. 

neglected as the Book of Leviticus has been. If this 
book ought not to be read, surely it ought not to have 
been written. If it be not ''profitable," surely it ought 
nut to have had a place assigned it in the canon of 
divine inspiration; but, inasmuch as it hath pleased 
**the only wise God" to write this book, it surely ought 
to please His children to read it. 

No doubt, spiritual wisdom, holy discernment, and 
that refined moral sense, which only communion with 
God can impart — all these things would be needed in 
order to form a judgment as to when such scripture 
ought to be read. We should feel strongly disposed to 
question the sound judgment and refined taste of a man, 
who could stand up and read the fifteenth of Leviticus, 
in the midst of an ordinary congregation. But why? 
Is it because it is not ''divinely inspired," and, as such, 
"profitable ?" By no means ; but because the generality 
of persons are not sufficiently spiritual to enter into its 
pure and holy lessons. 

What, then, are we to learn, from the chapter before 
us? In the first place, we learn to watch, with holy 
jealousy, everything that emanates from nature. Every 
movement of, and every emanation from, nature is 
defiling. Fallen human nature is an impure fountain, 
and all its streams are polluting. It cannot send forth 
aught that is pure, holy, or good. This is a lesson 
frequently inculcated in the Book of Leviticus, and it is 
impressively taught in this chapter. 

But, blessed be the grace that has made such ample 
provision for nature's defilement 1 This provision is 
presented under two distinct forms, throughout the entire 
of the book of God, and throughout this section of vt 



CHAPTER XV. 273 

In particular — namely, "water and blood." Both these 
are founded upon the death of Christ. The blood 
that expiates and the water that cleanses flowed from 
the . pierced side of a crucified Christ. (Comp. John 
xix. 34, with 1 John v. 6.) " The blood of Jesus 
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John i. T.) 
And the word of God cleanseth our practical habits and 
ways. (Ps. cxix. 9 ; Eph. v. 26.) Thus, we are main- 
tained in fitness for communion and worship, though 
passing through a scene where all is defiling, and carry- 
ing with us a nature, every movement of which leaves 
a soil behind. 

It has been already remarked that our chapter treats 
of a class of ceremonial defilements less serious than 
leprosy. This will account for the fact that atonement 
is here foreshadowed, not by a bullock or a lamb, but by 
the lowest order of sacrifice — namely, ''two turtle doves." 
But, on the other hand, the cleansing virtue of the Word 
is continually introduced, in the ceremonial actions of 
'' washing," "bathing," and "rinsing." "Wherewithal 
shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking heed 
thereto according to thy word,^^ " Husbands, love your 
wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave 
himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with 
the ivashing of water by the word.^^ Water held a most 
important place in the Levitical system of purification, 
and, as a type of the Word, nothing can be more interest- 
ing or instructive. 

Thus we can gather up the most valuable points from 
this fifteenth chapter of Leviticus. We learn, in a very 
striking manner, the intense holiness of the divine 
prf sence. Not a soil, not a stain, not a Kspeck can be 

R 



2t4 LEVITICUS. 

tolerated, for a moment, iu that thrice-hallowed region 
" Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from theii 
unoleanness, that they die not in their uncleanness^ 
when they defile my tabernacle that is among them." 
(Ver. 31.) 

Again, we learn that human nature is the everfluwing 
fountain of uncleanness. It is hopelessly defiled ; and 
not only defiled, but defiling. Awake or asleep, sitting, 
standing, or lying, nature is defiled and defiling. Its 
very touch conveys pollution. This is a deeply- 
humbling lesson for proud humanity; but thus it is. 
The Book of Leviticus holds up a faithful mirror to 
nature. It leaves " flesh " nothing to glory in. Men 
may boast of their refinement, their moral sense, their 
dignity. Let them study the third book of Moses, and 
there they will see what it is all really worth, in God's 
estimation. 

Finally, we learn, afresh, the expiatory value of the 
blood of Christ, and the cleansing, purifying, sanctify- 
ing virtues of the precious Word of God. When we 
think of the unsullied purity of the sanctuary, and then 
reflect upon nature's irremediable defilement, and ask the 
question, '* However can we enter and dwell there V^ 
the answer is found in "the blood and water" which 
flowed from the side of a crucified Christ — a Christ 
who gave up His life unto death for us, that we might 
live by Him. "There are three that bear record in 
earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and," 
blessed be God, " these three agree in one." The Spirit 
does not convey to our ears a message diverse from that 
which we find in the Word ; and both the Word and the 
Spirit declare to us the preciousness and eflBcacy of the 
blood. 



CHAPTER XVI. 275 

Can we not, therefore, say that the fifteenth chapter 
of Leviticus was "written for our learning?" Has it 
not its own distinct place in the divine canon ? As> 
suredly. There would be a blank were it omitted. We 
learn in it what we could not learn in the same way, any 
where else. True, all Scripture teaches us the holiness 
of God, the vileness of nature, the efficacy of the blood, 
the value of the Word ; but the chapter upon which we 
have been pondering presents these great truths to our 
notice, and presses them upon our hearts in a mannei 
quite peculiar to itself. 

May every section of our Father's Volume be precious 
to our hearts. May every one of His testimonies be 
sweeter to us than honey and the honeycomb, and may 
'' every one of his righteous judgments " have its due 
place in our souls. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

This chapter unfolds some of the weightiest principles 
of truth which can possibly engage the renewed mind. 
It presents the doctrine of atonement with uncommon 
fulness and power. In short, we must rank the six- 
teenth chapter of Leviticus amongst the most precious 
and important sections of Inspiration; if indeed it be 
allowable to make comparisons where all is divine. 

Looking at this chapter, historically, it furnishes a 
record of ^-he transactions of the great day of atonement 



2t6 LEVITICUS. 

in Israel, whereby Jehovah's relationship with the 
assemblv was established and maintained, and all the 
sins, failures, and infirmities of the people fully atoned 
for, so that the Lord God might dwell among them. 
1 he blood which was shed upon this solemn day formed 
the basis of Jehovah's throne in the midst of the con- 
gregation. In virtue of it, a holy God could take up 
His abode in the midst of the people, notwithstanding 
all their uncleanness. '' The tenth day of the seventh 
month'' was a unique day in Israel. There was no 
other day in the year like it. The sacrifices of this one 
day formed the ground of God's dealing in grace, mercy, 
patience, and forbearance. 

Furthermore, we learn from this portion of inspired 
history, *'that the way into the holiest of all was not yet 
made manifest." God was hidden behind a veil and 
man was at a distance. "And the Lord spake unto 
Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when 
they offered before the Lord, and died ; and the Lord 
said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that ho 
come not at all times unto the holy place within the 
vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that 
he die not : for I will appear in the cloud upon the 
mercv seat." 

The way was not open for man to approach, at all 
times, into the divine presence, nor was there any pro- 
vision, in the entire range of the Mosaic ritual, for his 
abiding there, continually. God was shut in from man; 
and man was shut out from God, nor could "the blood 
of bulls and goats " open a permanent meeting place ; 
•'A sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood" was 
needed to accomplish this. ''For the law having a 



CHAPTER XVI. 211 

shadow of good things to come and not the very image 
of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they 
offered year by year continually make the comers there- 
unto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to 
be offered ? Because that the worshippers once purged 
should have had no more conscience of sins. But in 
those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of 
Bins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of 
bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Heb. x. 1 — 
4.) Neither the Levitical priesthood nor the Levitical 
sacrifices, could yield perfection. Insufficiency was 
stamped on the latter, infirmity on the former, imper- 
fection on both. An imperfect man could not be a per- 
fect priest; nor could an imperfect sacrifice give a perfect 
conscience. Aaron was not competent or entitled to 
take his seat within the vail, nor could the sacrifices 
which he offered rend that vail. 

Thus much as to our chapter, historically. Let us 
now look at it typically. 

*' Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a 
young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt 
ofiering." (Ver. 3.) Here, we have the two grand 
aspects of Christ's atoning work, as that which perfectly 
mamtains the divine glory, and perfectly meets man's 
deepest need. There is no mention, throughout all the 
services of this unique and solemn day, of a meat offer- 
ing, or a peace offering. The perfect human life of our 
blessed Lord is not foreshadowed, here, nor is the com- 
munion of the soul with God, consequent upon His 
accomplished work, unfolded. In a word, the one grand 
subject is "atonement," and that in a double way, 
T?amely, first, as meeting all the claims of God — the 
24 



278 LEVITICUS. 

claims of His nature — the claims of His character — the 
claims of His throne ; and, secondly, as perfectly meet- 
ing all man's guilt and all his necessities. We must 
bear these two points in mind, if we would have a clear 
understanding of the truth presented in this chapier, or 
of the doctrine of the great day of atonement. '* Thus 
shall Aaron come into the holy place," with atonement, 
as securing the glory of God, in every possible way, 
whether as respects His counsels of redeeming love 
toward the church, toward Israel, and toward the whole 
creation, or in reference to all the claims of His moral 
administration; and with atonement as fully meeting 
man's guilty and needy condition. These two aspects 
of the atonement will continually present themselves to 
our view as we ponder the precious contents of our 
chapter. Their importance cannot possibly be over- 
estimated. 

^'He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall 
have'the linen breeches upon his flesh, and he shall be 
girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre 
shall be be attired : these are holy garments; therefore 
shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on." 
(Ver. 4.) Aaron's person, washed in pure water, aod 
robed in the white linen garments, furnishes a lovely 
and impressive type of Christ entering upon the work 
of atonement. He is seen to be personally and charac- 
teristically pure and spotless. "For their sakes I 
sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified 
through the truth." (John xvii. 19.) It is peculiarly 
precious to be called, as it were, to gaze upon the 
Person of our divine Priest, in all His essential holi- 
ness The Holy Ghost delights in everv thing that 



CHAPTER XVI 279 

infolds CLrlst to the view of His people; and wherever 
we behold Him, we see Him to be the same spotless, 
perfect, glorious, precious, peerless Jesus, '* the fairest 
among ten thousand, yea, altogether lovely." He did 
not need to do or to wear anything, in order to be pure 
and spotless. He needed no pure water, no fine linen. 
He was, intrinsically and practically, "the holy One of 
God." What Aaron didj and what he loore — the wash- 
ing and the robing, are but the faint shadows of what 
Christ is. The law had only a '' shadow," and ** not 
the very image of good things to come." Blessed be 
God, we have not merely the shadow, but the eternal 
and divine reality — Christ Himself. 

**And he shall take of the congregation of the 
children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin 
offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron 
shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for 
himself, and make atonement for himself and for his 
bouse." (Ver. 5, 6.) Aaron and his house represent 
the Church, not indeed as the "one body," but as a 
priestly house. It is not the Church as we find it 
developed in Ephesians and Colossians, but rather as 
we find it in the First Epistle of Peter, in the following 
well-known passage: "Ye also, as lively stones, are 
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer 
up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus 
Christ." (Chap, ii. 5.) So also in Hebrews: "But 
Christ as a Son over His own house; whose house are 
we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of 
the hope firm unto the end." (Chap. iii. 6.) We must 
ever remember that there is no revelation of the mys- 
tery of the Church in the Old Testament. Types and 



280 LEVITICUS 

shadows there are, but no revelation. That wondroaa 
mystery of Jew and Gentile forming "one body/' ''one 
new man/' and united to a glorified Christ in heaven, 
could not, as is obvious, be revealed until Christ had 
taken His place above. Of this mystery Paul was, 
pre-eminently, made a steward and a minister, as he 
tells us in Ephesians iii. 1 — 12, a passage which I would 
commend to the prayerful attention of the Christian 
reader. 

" And he shall take the two goats, and present them 
before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the 
congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the twc 
goats ; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the 
scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upott 
which the Lord's lot 'fell, and offer him for a sin 
offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the 
scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to 
make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a 
scapegoat into the wilderness. '^ (Yer. 7 — 10.) In these 
two goats, we have the two aspects of atonement 
already referred to. ''The Lord's lot" fell upon one; 
and the people's lot fell upon the other. In the case of 
the former, it was not a question of the persons or the 
sins w^hich were to be forgiven, nor of God's counsels 
of grace toward His elect. These things, I need hardly 
say, are of infinite moment; but they are not involved 
in the case of "the goat on which the Lord's lot fell." 
This latter typifies the death of Christ as that wherein 
God has been perfectly glorified, with respect to sin in 
general. This great truth is fully set forth in the 
remarkable expression, ''the Lord's lot." God has a 
peeu'lar portion in the death of Christ — a portion quite 



CHAPTER XVI. 28) 

distinct — a portion which would hold eternally good 
even though no sinner were ever to be saved. In 
order to see the force of this, it is needful to bear in 
mind how God has been dishonored in this world. 
His truth has been despised. His authority has been 
contemned. His majesty has been slighted. His law 
has been broken. His claims have been disregarded 
His name has been blasphemed. His character has been 
traduced. 

Now, the death of Christ has made provision for all 
this. It has perfectly glorified God in the very place 
where all these things have been done. It has per- 
fectly vindicated the majesty, the truth, the holiness, 
the character of God. It has divinely met all the 
claims of His throne. It has atoned for sin. It has 
furnished a divine remedy for all the mischief which 
sin introduced into the universe. It affords a ground 
on which the blessed God can act in grace, mercy, and 
forbearance toward all. It furnishes a warrant for the 
eternal expulsion and perdition of the prince of this 
world. It forms the imperishable foundation of God's 
mora^ government. In virtue of the cross, God can 
act according to His own sovereignty. He can display 
the matchless glories of His character, and the adorable 
attributes of His nature. He might, in the exercise of 
inflexible justice, have consigned the human family to 
the lake of fire, together with the devil and his angels. 
But, in that case, where would be His love, His grace, 
His mercy, His kindness, His longsuffering. His com- 
passion, His patience. His perfect goodness ? 

Then, on the other hand, had these precious attri- 
butes been exercised, h the absence of atonement, where 



28:3 LEVlTioua 

were the justice, the truth, the majesty, the holiness; 
the righteousness, the go«^ernmental claims, yea, the 
entire moral glorj of God? How could "mer^y and 
truth meet together?" or ''righteousness and peace kisB 
each other?" How could ''truth spring out of the 
earth?" or "righteousness look down from heaven?" 
Impossible. Nought save the atonement of our Lord 
Jesus Christ could have fully glorified God; but that 
has glorified Him. It has reflected the full glory of 
the divine character, as it never could have been re- 
flected amid the brightest splendors of an unfallen 
creation. By means of that atonement, in prospect 
and retrospect, God has been exercising forbearance to- 
ward this world, for well nigh six thousand years. In 
virtue of that atonement, the most wicked, daring, and 
olasphemous of the sons of men "live, move, and have 
their being;" eat, drink, and sleep. The very morsel 
which yonder open blaspheming infidel puts into his 
mouth, he owes to the atonement which he knows not, 
but impiously ridicules. The sunbeams and showers 
which fertilize the fields of the atheist, reach him in 
virtue of the atonement of Christ. Yea, the very breath 
which the infidel and the atheist spend in blaspheming 
God's revelation, or denying His existence, they owe to 
the atonement of Christ. Were it not for that precious 
atonement, instead of blaspheming upon earth, they 
would be weltering in hell. 

Let not my reader misunderstand me, I speak not 
here of the forgiveness or salvation of persons. This 
is quite another thing, and stands connected, as every 
true Christian knows, with the confession of the name 
of J 'sus. and the hearty belief that God raised Him 



CHAPTER XVI 283 

from the dead. (Rom. x.) This is plain enough, and 
fully understood ; but it is in no wise involved in that 
aspect of the atonement which we are, at present, con- 
templating, and which is so strikingly foreshadowed by 
*'the goat on which the Lord's lot fell." God's pardon- 
ing and accepting a sinner is one thing; His bearing 
with that man, and showering temporal blessings upon 
him, is quite another. Both are in virtue of the cross, 
but in a totally different aspect and application thereof. 

Nor is this distinction, by any means, unimportant. 
Quite the opposite. Indeed, so important is it that 
where it is overlooked, there must be confusion as to the 
full doctrine of atonement. Nor is this all. A clear 
understanding of God's ways in government, whether 
in the past, the present, or the future, will be found in- 
volved in this profoundly interesting point. And, finally, 
in it will be found the key wherewith to expound a num- 
ber of texts in which many Christians find considerable 
difficulty. I shall just adduce two or three of these 
passages as examples. 

*' Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the 
sin of the world." (John i. 29.) With this we may 
connect a kindred passage in John's first epistle, in which 
the Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of as '* the propitiation 
for the whole world."* (Chap. ii. 2.) In both these 

* The reader will observe, in the above passage, that the 
v^ords **the sins of" are introduced by the translators, and 
are not inspired. The divine accuracy of the passage is com- 
pletely lost by retaining those uninspired words. The doc- 
trine laid down is simply this — In the first clause of the verse, 
Christ is set forth as the propitiation for His people's actual 
s^*'.?; but in the las^ clause, it is not a question of sins or of 



284 LEVITICUS. 

passages the Lord Jesus is referred to as the One who 
h&3 perfectly glorified God with respect to ".sm" and 
''ike world,^^ in their broadest acceptation. He is here 
seen as the great Antitype of ''the goat on which the 
Lord's lot fell." This gives us a most precious view of 
the atonement of Christ, and one which is too much 
overlooked, or not clearly apprehended. Whenever the 
question of persons and the forgiveness of sins is raised 
in connection with these and kindred passages of scrip 
ture, the mind is sure to get involved in insuperable 
difiSculties. 

So, also, with respect to all those passages in which 
God's grace to the world at large is presented. They 
are founded upon that special aspect of the atonement 
with which we are more immediately occupied. ** Go 
ye into all the icorld, and preach the gospel to every 
creature.^^ (Mark xvi.) " God so loved the ivorld, that 
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 
in him might not perish, but have everlasting life. For 
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the 
world ; but that the world through him might be saved." 
(John iii. 16, It.) ''I exhort, therefore, that first of 
all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of 
thanks, be made for all men ; for kings, and for all that 
are in authority ; that we may lead a quiet and peace- 

persons at all, but of si)i and the world in general. In fact, 
the whole verse presents Christ as the Antitype of the two 
goats, as the One who has borne His people's sins ; and, also, 
as the One who has perfectly glorified God with respect to sin 
in general, and made provision for dealing in grace with the 
world at large, and for the final deliverance and blessing of 
Hir. whole creation. 



CHAPTER XVI. 285 

able life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good 
and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who 
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the 
knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one 
mediator ])etwcen God and men, the man Christ Jesus ; 
who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in 
due time." (1 Tim. ii. 1 — 6.) " For the grace of God 
that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,^^ 
(Titus ii. ]1.) ''But we see Jesus, who Avas made a 
little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, 
crowned with glory and honor ; that he by the grace of 
God should taste death for every many (Heb. ii. 9.) 
*' The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some 
men -count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, 
not willing that amj should perish, but that all should 
come to repentance." (2 Peter iii. 9.) 

There is no need whatsoever for seeking to avoid the 
plain sense of the above and similar passages. They 
bear a clear and unequivocal testimony to divine grace 
toward all, without the slightest reference to man's 
responsibility, on the one hand, or to God's eternal 
counsels, on the other. These things are just as clearly, 
just as fully, just as unequivocally, taught in the word. 
Man is responsible, and God is sovereign. All who 
bow to Scripture admit these things. But, at the same 
time, it is of the very last importance to recognize the 
wide aspect of the grace of God, and of the cross of 
Christ. It glbrifies God and leaves man wholly without 
excuse. Men argue about God's decrees and man's 
incompetency to believe without divine influence. Their 
arguments prove that they do not want God; for did 
they only want Him, He is near enough to bo found 



286 LEVITICUS. 

of them. The grace of God, and the atonement of 

Christ, are as wide as they could desire, "-iny"— . 
^^ every ^'^ — '^ whosoever ^^ — and "aZZ," are God's own 
words ; and I should like to know who is shut out. If 
God sends a message of salvation to a man, He surely 
intends it for him^ and what can be more wicked and 
impious than to reject God's grace, and make Him a 
liar, and then give His secret decrees as a reason for so 
doing. It would be, in a certain sense, honest for a man 
to say at once, *^The fact is, I do not believe God's 
word, and I do not want His grace or His salvation." 
One could understand this ; but for men to cover their 
hatred of God and His truth with the drapery of a false 
because one-sided theology, is the very highest character 
of wickedness. It is such as to make us feel, of a truth, 
that the devil is never more diabolical than when he 
appears with the Bible in his hand. 

If it be true that men are prevented, by God's secret 
decrees and counsels, from receiving the gospel which 
He has commanded to be preached to them, then on 
what principle of righteousness will they be '* punished 
with everlasting destruction " for not obeying that gos- 
pel ? (2 Thess. i. 6 — 10.) Is there a single soul through- 
out all the gloomy regions of the lost who blames God's 
counsels for his being there ? Not one. Ohl no; God 
has made such ample provision in the atonement of 
Christ, not only for the salvation of those that believe, 
but also for the aspect of His grace toward those that 
reject the gospel, that there is no excuse. It is not 
because a man cannot, but because he will not believe 
that he '' shall be punished with everlasting destruction." 
Ne^^er was there a more fatal mistake than for a man 



CHAPTER XVI. 287 

to ensconce himself behind God's decrees while deliber- 
ately and intelligently refusing God's grace; and thia 
is all the more dangerous, because supported by tht 
dogmas of a one-sided theology. God's grace is frea 
to all; and if we ask, How is this? the answer is, " Je* 
hovah's lot " fell upon the true victim, in order that He 
might be perfectly glorified as to sin, in its widest 
aspect, and be free to act in grace toward all, and 
*^ preach the gospel to every creature." This grace and 
this preaching must have a solid basis, and that basis 
is found in the atonement; and though man should 
reject, God is glorified in the exercise of grace,, and in 
the offer of salvation, because of the basis on which 
both the one and the other repose. He is glorified, and 
He shall be glorified, throughout eternity's countless 
ages. "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I 
say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this 
cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy 
name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, 

I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again 

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the 
prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted 
up from the earth, will draw all unto me." (John xii. 2t 
-32.) 

Thus far we have been occupied only with one special 
point, namely, " the goat on which the Lord's lot fell ; " 
and a cursory reader might suppose that the next thing 
in order would be the scapegoat, which gives us the 
other great aspect of the death of Christ, or its applica- 
tion to the sins of the people. But no : ere we come to 
that, we have the fullest confirmation of that precious 
line of truth which has been before us, in the fact thai 



288 LEVITICUS. 

*.he blood of the slain goat, together with the blood of 
the bullock, was sprinkled upon, and before, Jehovah's 
throne, in order to show that all the claims of that throne 
were answered in the blood of atonement, and full pro- 
rision made for all the demands of God's moral adminis- 
tration. 

" And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering 
which is for himself, and shall make an atonement foi 
himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of 
the sin offering which is for himself And he shall take 
a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altai 
before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense 
beaten small, and bring it within the vail. And he shall 
put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the 
cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is 
upon the testimony, that he die not." Here we have a 
most vivid and striking presentation indeed. The blood 
of atonement is carried in within the veil, into the holiest 
of all, and there sprinkled upon the throne of the God 
of Israel. The cloud of the divine presence was there; 
and in order that Aaron might appear in the immediate 
presence of the glory, and not die, " the cloud of in- 
cense " ascends and "covers the mercy-seat," on which 
the blood of atonement was to be sprinkled ''seven 
times." The ''sweet incense beaten smalV^ expresses 
the fragrance of Christ's Person — the sweet odor of His 
most precious sacrifice. 

" And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and 
sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward; 
and before the mercy-soat shall he sprinkle of the 
blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill 
the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and 



CHAPTER XVI. 289 

bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood 
as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle 
it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat.^' 
(Yer. 14, 15.) ''Seven" is the perfect number; and 
in the sprinkling of the blood seven times before the 
mercy-seat we learn that whatever be the application 
of the atonement of Christ, whether as to things, to 
places, or to persons, it is perfectly estimated in the 
divine presence. The blood w^hich secures the salvation 
of the Church — ^the "house" of the true Aaron; the 
blood which secures the salvation of the "congregation " 
of Israel ; the blood \vhich secures the final restoration 
and blessedness of the whole creation — that blood has 
/been presented before God, sprinkled and accepted 
according to all the perfectness, fragrance, and pre- 
ciousness of Christ. In the power of that blood God 
can accomplish all His eternal counsels of grace. He 
can save the Church, and raise it into the very loftiest 
heights of glory and dignity, despite of all the power 
of sin and Satan. He can restore Israel's scattered 
tribes — He can unite Judah and Ephraim — He can 
accomplish all the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob. He can save and bless untold millions of 
the Gentiles. He can restore and bless the wide 
creation. He can allow the beams of His glory to 
lighten up the universe for ever. He can display, in 
the view of angels, men, and devils. His own eternal 
glory — the glory of His character — ^the glory of His 
nature — ^the glory of His works — ^the glory of His 
government. All this He can do, and will do ; but the 
one solitary pedestal upon which the stupendous fabric 
of glory shall rest, for ever, is the blood of the cross-^^^ 
s 



290 LEVITICUS. 

that precious blood, dear Christian reader, which harf 
spoken peace, divine and everlasting* peace, to your 
heart and conscience, in the presence of Infinite Hdiness. 
The blood which is sprinkled upon the believer's con- 
science has been sprinkled '* seven times " before the 
throne of God. The nearer we get to God, the more 
importance and value we find attached to the blood of 
Jesus. If we look at the brazen altar, we find the blood 
there ; if we look at the brazen laver, we find the blood 
there ; if we look at the golden altar, w^e find the blood 
there ; if we look at the vail of the tabernacle, we find 
the blood there : but in no place do we find so much 
about the blood, as within the veil, before Jehovah's 
throne, in the immediate presence of the divine glory. 

" In heaven His blood for ever speaks, 
In God the Father's ears." 

" And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, 
because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and 
because of their transgressions in all their sins : and so 
shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that 
rema.neth among them in the midst of their unclean- 
ness." The same truth meets us all along. The claims 
of the sanctuary must be provided for. Jehovah's courts, 
as well as His throne, must bear witness to the value of 
the blood. The tabernacle, in the midst of Ir^raePs un- 
cleanness, must be fenced round about by the divine 
provisions of atonement. Jehovah provided, in all 
things, for His own glory. The priests and their priestly 
service, the place of worship, and all therein, must stand 
in the power of the blood. The Holy One could not 
bave remained, for a moment, in the midst of the con- 



CHAPTER XVI. 291 

gregation. were it not for the power of Ibe blood. It 
was that which left Him free to dwell, and act, and rule 
in the midst of an erring people. 

*' And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the 
congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement 
in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an 
atonement for himself, and for his household, and for 
all the congregation of Israel." (Ver. 17.) Aaron 
needed to offer up sacrifice for his own sins, as well as 
for the sins of the people. He could only enter into 
the sanctuary in the power of the blood. We have, in 
verse 17, a type of the atonement of Christ in its ixp) ill- 
cation both to the church and to the congregation of 
Israel. The church now enters into the holiest by the 
blood of Jesus. (Heb. x.) As to Israel, the vail ia 
still on their hearts. (2 Cor. iii.) They are stlil at a 
distance, although full provision has been made in the 
cross for their forgiveness and restoration when they 
shall turn to the Lord. This entire period is, properly 
speaking, the day of atonement. The true Aaron is 
gone in, with His own blood, into heaven itself, now to 
appear in the presence of God for us. By and by. He 
will come forth to lead the congregation of Israel into 
the full results of His accomplished work. Meanwhile, 
His house, that is to say, all true believers, are associated 
w^ith Him, having boldness to enter into the holiest, being 
brought nigh by the blood of Jesus. 

'* And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the 
Lord, and make an atonement for it ; and shall take of 
the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, 
and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 
And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his 



S^2 LEVITICUS. 

finger se^^a cimes, and cleanse it, and hallow it ^rom 
the uncleanufss of the children of Israel." (Ver. 18, 
19.) Thus the atoning blood was sprinkled every- 
where, from the throne of God within the vail, to the 
altar which stood in the court of the tabernacle of the 
congregation. '' It was therefore necessary that the 
patterns of things in the heavens should be purified 
with these ; but the heavenly things themselves with 
better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered 
into the holy places made with hands, which are the 
figures of the true ; but into heaven itself, now to appear 
in the presence of God for us : nor yet that He should 
ofi*er Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the 
holy place every year with blood of others; for then 
must He often have suffered since the foundation of the 
world ; but now once in the end of the world (at the end 
of everything earthly, everything human) hath he ap- 
peared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after 
i;his the judgment : so Christ was once offered to bear 
the sins of many ; and unto them that look for Him shall 
He appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation." 
(Heb. ix. 23—28.) 

There is but one way into the holiest of all, and that 
Is a blood-sprinkled way. It is vain to strive to enter 
by any other. Men may attempt to work themselves 
in, to pray themselves in, to buy themselves in, to get in 
by a pathway of ordinances, or it may be of halfordi- 
aances, half-Christ ; but it is of no use. God speaks of 
one way, and but one, and that way has been thrown 
open through the rent vail of the Saviour's flesh. Along 
that way have the millions of the saved passed, from 



CHAPTER XVI. 29? 

age to age. Patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, 
saints in every age, from Abel downwards, have trod 
that blessed way, and found thereby sure and undis- 
puted access. The one sacrifice of the Cross is divinely 
sufficient for all. God asks no more, and He can take 
no less. To add aught thereto is to cast dishonor upon 
that with which God has declared himself well pleased, 
yea, in which He is infinitely glorified. To diminish 
aught-therefrom is to deny man's guilt and ruin, and 
offer an indignity to the justice and majesty of the eternal 
Trinity. 

*' And when he hath made an end of reconciling the 
holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and 
the altar, he shall bring the live goat. And Aaron 
shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, 
and confess over him all the iniquities of the children 
of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, 
putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send 
him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. 
And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities 
unto a land not inhabited : and he shall let go the goat 
in the wilderness." 

Here, then, we have the other grand idea attached to 
the death of Christ — namely, the full and final forgive- 
ness of the people. If the death of Christ forms the 
foundation of the glory of God, it also forms the founda- 
tion of the perfect forgiveness of sins to all whu put their 
trust in it. This latter, blessed be God, is but a sec- 
ondary, an inferior application of the atonement, though 
our foolish hearts would fain regard it as the very high- 
est possible view of the cross to see in it that which 
pu+s away all our sins. This is a mistake. God's glory 



294 LEVITICUS. 

is the first thing ; our salvation is the second. To maiQ< 
tain God^s glory was the chief, the darling object of the 
heart of Christ. This object He pursued from first to 
last, with an undeviating purpose and unflinching fidelity. 
" Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down 
my life, that I might take it again." (John x. It.) 
*' In ow is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified 
in Him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also 
glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify 
him." (John xiii. 31, 32.) "Listen, isles, unto me; 
and hearken, ye people from far: the Lord hath called 
me from the womb ; from the bowels of my mother hath 
he made mention of my name. And he hath made my 
mouth like a sharp sword ; in the shadow of his hand 
hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft : in his 
quiver hath he hid me ; and said unto me, Thou art my 
servant, Israel, in whom I will he glorified,^^ (Isaiah 
riix. 1—3.) 

Thus, the glory of God was the paramount object of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, in life and in death. He lived 
find died to glorify His Father's name. Does the Church 
lose aught by this? Nay. Does Israel? Nay. Do 
the Gentiles ? Nay. In no way could their salvation 
and blessedness be so perfectly provided for as by being 
made subsidiary to the glory of God. Hearken to the 
divine response to Christ, the true Israel, in the sublime 
passage just quoted. "It is a light thing that thou 
shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, 
and to restore the preserved of Israel : I will also give 
ihee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my 
salvation to the ends of the earth." 

\ad is it not a blessed thing to know that God ift 



CHAPTER XVI. ^96 

glorified in the putting away of our sins? We may- 
ask, Where are our sins? Put away. By what? By 
that act of Christ upon the cross in which God has 
been eternally glorified. Thus it is. The two goats, 
on tlie day of atonement, give the double aspect of the 
one act. In the one, we see God's glory maintained ; 
in the other, sins put away. The one is as perfect 
as the other. We are as perfectly forgiven as God 
is perfectly glorified, by the death of Christ. Was 
there one single point in which God was not glorified 
in the cross? Not one. Neither is there one single 
point in which we are not perfectly forgiven. I say 
"we;" for albeit the congregation of Israel is the 
primary object contemplated in the beautiful and im- 
pressive ordinance of the scape-goat; yet does it hoJd 
good, in the fullest way, with respect to every soul that 
believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is as per- 
fectly forgiven as God is perfectly glorified, by the 
atonement of the cross. How many of the sins of 
Israel did the scape-goat bear away ? ''AlU^ Precious 
word I Not one left behind. And whither did he bear 
them. *'Into a land not inhabited" — a land where 
they could never be found, because there was no one 
there to look for them. Could any type be more per- 
fect ? Could we possibly have a more graphic picture 
of Christ's accomplished sacrifice, in its primary and 
secondary aspects? Impossible. We can hang with 
intense admiration over such a picture, and, as we gaze, 
exclaim, '' Of a truth, the pencil of the Master is here!" 

Reader, pause here, and say, do you know that all 
your sins are forgiven, according to the perfection of 
Christ's sacrifice ? If you simply believe on His name 



296 LEVITICUS. 

they arc so. They are all gone, and gone for ever. Say 
not, as so many anxious souls do, **I fear I do not reaU 
ize,^^ There is no such word as "realize" in the entire 
gospel. We are not saved by realization, but by Christ ; 
and the way to get Christ in all His fulness and pre- 
eiousness is to believe — " only believe I " And what 
will be the result ? ** The worshippers once purged 
should have no more conscience of sins." Observe this. 
'^No more conscience of sins." This must be the re- 
sult, inasmuch as Christ's sacrifice is perfect — so perfect, 
that God is glorified therein. Now, it must be obvious 
to you that Christ's work does not need your realization 
to be added to it to make it perfect. This could not be. 
We might as well say that the work of creation was not 
complete until Adam realized it in the garden of Eden. 
True, he did realize ; but what did he realize ? A per- 
fect work. Thus let it be with your precious soul this 
moment, if it has never been so before. May you, now 
and evermore, repose, in artless simplicity, upon the One 
who has, by one offering, perfected for ever them that 
are sanctified I And how are they sanctified ? Is it by 
realization ? By no means. How then ? ^'By faith?'* 
(Acts xxvi. 18.) 

Having sought — alas I most feebly — to unfold the 
doctrine of this marvellous chapter, so far as God has 
g-lven me light upon it, there is just one point further 
to which I shall merely call my reader's attention, ere I 
close this section. It is contained in the following quota- 
tion: "And this shall be a statute for ever unto you, 
that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the 
month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, 
<s^hether it be one of your own country, or a strangei 



CHAPTER XVI, 29v 

thai sojoiirneth among you. For ou that day shall the 
priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that 
ye may be clean from oil your sins before the Lord, It 
sholl be a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your soulSf 
by a statute for ever." (Ver. 29 — 31.) 

This shall have its full accomplishment in the saved 
remnant of Israel by and by, as foretold by the prophet 
Zechariah: ** And I will pour upon the house of David, 
and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of 
grace and of supplications ; and they shall look upon me 
whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, 
as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitter- 
ness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first- 
born. In that day shall there be a great mourning in 
Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the 

valley af Megiddon In that day there shall bi 

a fountain opened to the house of David, and to th^ 
inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. 

And it shall come to pass in that day that 

the light shall not be clear (in one place) and dark* 
(in another:) but it shall be one day, (the true and 
long-expected sabbath,) which shall be known to the 
Lord, not day nor night: but it shall come to pass, 
that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be 
in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusa- 
lem ; half of them toward the former sea, and half of 
them toward the hinder sea : in summer and in winter 
Bball it be. And the Lord shall be King over all 
THE earth : in that day shall there be one Lord, and iiin 

name one In that day shall there be upon 

the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE 
LORD .... And m ^/la^ da2/ there shall be no more 



298 LEVITICUS. 

the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. '• 
(Zech. xii. — xiv.) 

What a day that will be I No marvel that it shunld 
be so frequently and so emphatically introduced in the 
above glowing passage. It will be a bright and blessed 
" sabbath of rest " when the mourning remnant shall 
gather, in the spirit of true penitence, round the open 
fountain, and enter into the full and final results of the 
great day of atonement. They shall '' afflict their souls," 
no doubt ; for how could they do otherwise, while fixing 
their repentant gaze "upon him whom thej* have 
pierced ?" But, oh ! what a Sabbath they will have I 
Jerusalem will have a brimming cup of salvation, after 
her long and dreary night of sorrow. Her former deso- 
lations shall be forgotten, and her children, restored to 
Iheir long-lost dwellings, shall take down their harps 
from the willows, and sing once more the sweet songs 
of Zion beneath the peaceful shade of the vine and fig 
*Tee. 

Blessed be God, the time is at hand. Every setting 
sun brings us nearer to that blissful sabbath. The word 
is, " Surely, I come quickly ;" and all around seems to 
tell us that "the days are at hand, and the effect of 
ivery vision." May we be "sober, and w^atch unto 
prayer!" May we keep ourselves unspotted from the 
world; and thus, in the spirit of our minds, the afifec- 
tions of our hearts, and the experience of our sonls, be 
ready to meet the heavenly Bridegroom I Our place for 
the present is outside the camp. Thank God that it is 
BO 1 It would be an unspeakable loss to be inside. The 
sam3 cross which has brought us inside the vail has 
east us outside the camp. Christ was cast out thither. 



CHAPTER XVII. 299 

and we are with Him there ; but He has been received 
up into Heaven, and we are with Him there. Is it not 
a mercy to be outside of all that which has rejected our 
blessed Lord and Master ? Truly so ; and the more we 
know of Jesus, and the more we know of this present 
evil world, the more thankful wo shall be to find our 
place outside of it all with Him. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

In this chapter the reader will find two special points, 
flamely, — first, that life belongs to Jehovah; and, sec- 
ondly, that the power of atonement is in the blood. 
The Lord attached peculiar importance to both these 
things. He would have them impressed upon every 
men ber of the congregation. 

*' 4nd the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak 
ant - Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children 
of Israel, and say unto them, This is the thing which 
the Lord hath commanded, saying, What man soever 
there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or 
%mb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the 
camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the taber- 
nacle of the congregation, to ofi*er an ofibring unto the 
Lord, before the tabernacle of the Lord ; blood shall be 
imputed unto that man ; he hath shed blood ; and that 
man shall be cut off' from among his people." This 
ras a most solemn matter j and we may ask what waB 



300 LEVITICUS. 

involved in offering a sacrifice otherwise than in the 
manner here prescribed ? It was nothing less than rob- 
bing Jehovah of His rights, and presenting to Satan 
that which was due to God. A man might say, ^' Can 
I not offer a sacrifice in one place as well as another ? " 
The answer is, ''Life beloDgs to God, and His claim 
thereto must be recognized in the place which He has 
appointed — before the tabernacle of the Lord." That 
was the only meeting place between God and man. To 
offer elsewhere proved that the heart did not want 
God. 

The moral of this is plain. There is one place where 
God has appointed to meet the sinner, and that is the 
cross — the antitype of the brazen altar. There and 
there alone has God's claim upon the life been duly re- 
cognized. To reject this meeting-place is to bring 
down judgment upon oneself — it is to trample under 
foot the just claims of God, and to arrogate to oneself 
a right to life which all have forfeited. It is important 
to see this. 

"And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the 
altar of the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the 
congr'^gation, and burn the fat for a sweet savor unto 
the Lord.-' The blood and the fat belonged to God. 
The blessed Jesus fully recognized this. He surren- 
dered His life to God, and all his hidden energies were 
devoted to Him likewise. He voluntarily walked to 
the altar and there gave up His precious life ; and the 
fragi'ant odor of His intrinsic excellency ascended to 
the throne of God. Blessed Jesus ! it is sweet, at every 
itep of our way, to be reminded of Thee. 

The second point above referred to is clearly staterf 



CHAPTER XVII. 301 

In verse 11. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood; 
and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an 
atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that 
MAKETH AN ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL." The Connec- 
tion between the two points is deeply interesting. W aen 
man duly takes his place as one possessing no title 
whatsoever to life — when he fully recognizes God's 
claims upon him, then the divine record is, ''I have 
given you the life to make an atonement for your soul." 
Yes ; atonement is God's gift to man ; and, be it care- 
fully noted, that this atonement is in the blood, and 
only in the blood. ^^It is the blood that maketh an 
atonement for the soul." It is not the blood and some- 
thing else. The word is most explicit. It attributes 
atonement exclusively to the blood, ''Without shed- 
ding of blood there is no remission." (Heb. ix. 22.) 
It was the death of Christ that rent the vail. It is 
'* by the blood of Jesus " we have " boldness to enter 
into the holiest." "We have redemption through his 
blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Eph. i. 7; Col. i. 14.) 
''Having made peace by the blood of his cross." ''Ye 
who were afar off are made nigh by the blood of his 
cross." " The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth 
us from all sin." (1 John i. t.) '*They washed their 
robes and made them w^ite in ihe blood of the Lamb.'* 
(Rev. vii.) "They overcame lim by the blood of the 
Lamb." (Rev. xii.) 

I would desire to call my reader's earnest attentioc 
f.o the precious and vital doctrine of the blood. I am 
anxious that he should see its true place. The blood of 
Christ is the foundation of everything. It is the 
ground of God's righteousness in justifying an ungodly 
26 



302 LEVITTCIJ8. 

sinner that believes on the name of the Son of G d ; 
and it is the gi'ound of the sinner's confidence in draw- 
ing nigh to a holy God who is of purer eyes than to 
bebc.Jd evil. God would be just in the condemnation 
of the sinner; but, through the death of Christ, He 
can be just and the justifier of him that believeth — a 
just God and a Saviour, The righteousness of God is 
His consistency with Himself — His acting in harmony 
with His revealed character. Hence, were it not for 
the cross, His consistency with Himself would, of neces- 
sity, demand the death and judgment of the sinner; 
but in the cross that death and judgment were borne 
by the sinner's Surety, so that the same divine consis- 
tency is perfectly maintained while a holy God justifies 
an ungodly sinner through faith. It is all through the 
blood of Jesus — nothing less — nothing more — nothing 
different. '' It is the blood that maketh an atonement 
for the soul." This is conclusive. This is God's simple 
plan of justification. Man's plan is much more cum- 
brous, much more roundabout. And not only is it 
cumbrous and roundabout, but it attributes righteous- 
ness to something quite different from what 1 find in 
the word. If I look from the third chapter of Genesis 
down to the close of Revelation, I find the blood of 
Christ put forward as the alone ground of righteousness. 
We get pardon, peace, life, righteousness, all by the 
blood, and nothing but the blood. The entire book of 
Leviticus, and particularly the chapter upon which we 
have just been meditating, is a commentary upon the 
doctrine of the blood. It seems strange to have to 
insist upon a fact so obvious to every dispassionate 
teachable student of holy Scripture. Yet so it is. Our 



CHAPTERS XVIII. — XX. 303 

minds are prone to slip away from the plain testimony 
of the word. We are ready to adopt opinions without 
.ever calmly investigating them in the light of the divine 
testimonies. In this way we get into confusion, dark- 
ness, and error. 

May we all learn to give the blood of Christ its due 
place ! It is so precious in God's sight that He will 
not suffer aught else to be added to or mingled with h 
**The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given 
it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your 
souls : for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for 
the soulJ^ 



CHAPTERS XVIIL— XX. 

This section sets before us, in a very remarkable 
manner, the personal sanctity and moral propriety 
which Jehovah looked for, on the part of those whom 
He had graciously introduced into relationship with 
Himself; and, at the same time, it presents a most 
humiliating picture of the enormities of which human 
nature is capable. 

'''And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord 
your God.^^ Here we have the foundation of the entire 
superstructure of moral conduct which these chapters 
present. Israel's actings were to take their character 
from the fiict that Jehovah was their God. They were 



804 LEVITICUS. 

called to comport themselves in a manner worthy of so 
high and holy a position. It was God's prerogative to 
set forth the special character and line of conduct be- 
coming a people with whom He was pleased to associate 
His name. Hence the frequency of the expressions — 
"I am the Lord." "I am the Lord your God." '*I 
the Lord your God am holy." Jehovah was their God, 
and He was holy ; hence, therefore, they were called to 
be holy likewise. His name was involved in their 
character and acting. 

This is the true principle of holiness for the people 
of God in all ages. They are to be governed and 
characterized by the revelation which He has made of 
Himself. Their conduct is to be founded upon what He 
is, not upon what they are in themselves. This en- 
tirely sets aside the principle expressed in the words, 
*' Stand by thyself, I am holier than thou; " a principle 
so justly repudiated by every sensitive mind. It is not 
a comparison of one man with another ; but a simple 
statement of the line of conduct which God looks for in 
those who belong to Him. *' After the doings of the 
land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do ; and 
after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring 
you, shall ye not do ; neither shall ye walk in their 
ordinances." The Egyptians and the Canaanites were 
all wrong. How was Israel to know this ? Who told 
them? How came they to be right, and all besides 
wronsc? These are .interesting inquiries; and the 
answer is as simple as the questions are interesting. 
Jehovah's word was the standard by which all ques» 
tions of right and wrong were to be definitely settled in 
the judgment of every member of the Israel of God. It 



CHAPTERS XVIII. — XX. 305 

was not, by any means, the judgment of an Israelite in 
opposition to the judgment of an Egyptian or of a 
Canaanite ; but it was the judgment of God above all. 
Egypt might have her practices and her opinions, and so 
might Canaan ; but Israel were to have the opinions and 
practices laid down in the word of God. " Ye shall do 
my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk 
therein : I am the Lord your God. Ye shall therefore 
keep my statutes and my judgments ; which, if a man 
do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.'' 

It will be well for my reader to get a clear, deep, full, 
practical sense of this truth. The word of God must 
settle every question and govern every conscience. 
There must be no appeal from its solemn and weighty 
decision. When God speaks, every heart must bow. 
Men may form and hold their opinions; they may 
adopt and defend their practices ; but one of the finest 
traits in the character of '' the Israel of God " is pro- 
found reverence for, and implicit subjection to, ''every 
word that proceedeth cut of the mouth of the Lord." 
The exhibition of this valuable feature may, perhaps, 
lay them open to the charge of dogmatism, super- 
ciliousness, and self-sufficiency, on the part of thosi^ who 
have never duly weighed the matter; but, in cruth, 
nothing can be more unlike dogmatism than simple 
subiection to the plain truth of God; nothing more 
unlike superciliousness than reverence for the state- 
ments of inspiration ; nothing more unlike self-sufficiency 
than subjection to the divine authority of holy Scrip- 
ture. 

True, there will ever be the need of carefulness is tc 
the tone and manner in which we set forth the authority 



306 LEVITICUS. 

for our convictions and our conduct. It must be made 
manifest, so far as it maj be, that we are wholly gov- 
erned, not by our own opinions, but by the word of God. 
There is great danger of attaching an importance to an 
opinion merely because we have adopted it. This must 
be carefully guarded against. Self may creep id and 
display its deformity in the defence of our opinions as 
much as in anything else ; but we must disallow it, in 
every shape and form, and be governed, in all things, by 
^'Thus saith the Lord." 

But, then, we are not to expect that everyone will be 
ready to admit the full force of the divine statutes 
and judgments. It is as persons walk in the integrity 
and energy of the divine nature that the word of 
God will be owned, appreciated, and reverenced. An 
Egyptian or a Canaanite would have been wholly 
unable to enter into the meaning or estimate the value 
of these statutes and judgments, which were to govern 
the conduct of the circumcised people of God ; but that 
did not, in any wise, affect the question of Israel's 
obedience. They were brought into a certain relation- 
ship with Jehovah, anJ that ve!aMonsh:p had its dis- 
tinctive privileges and responsibilities. '' J tim the Lord 
yuyr God.'' This was to be th(^ ground of their con- 
duct. They were to act in a way worthy of the One 
who had become thei?^ God, and made ihem IIi,s people. 
It was not that they were a whit better than other peo- 
ple. By no means. The Egyptians or Canaanites 
might have considered that the Israelites were setting 
themselves up as something superior in refusing to adupt 
the habits of either nation. But, no , the foundation 
of their peculiar line of conduct and tone of moralitj 



OHAPTEBS xvni. — XX. 307 

was laid in these words, "7 am the Lord your 
Ood:' 

In this great and practically-important fact, Jehovah 
set before His people a ground of conduct which was 
immovable, and a standard of morality which was as 
elevated, and as enduring, as the eternal throne itself 
The moment He entered into a relationship with a peo- 
ple, their ethics were to assume a character and tone 
worthy of Him. It was no longer a question us to 
what they were, either in themselves or in comparison 
with others ; but of what God was in comparison with 
all. This makes a material difference. To make seZ/ 
the ground of action or the standard of ethics is not only 
presumptuous folly, but it is sure to set one upon a 
descending scale of action. If self be my object, I 
must, of necessity, sink lower and lower every day j 
but if, on the other hand, I set the Lord before me, I 
shall rise higher and higher as, by the power of the 
Holy Ghost, I grow in conformity to that perfect model 
which is unfolded to the gaze of faith in the sacred pages 
of inspiration. I shall, undoubtedly, have to prostrate 
myself in the dust, under a sense of how infinitely short 
I come of the mark set before me ; but, then, I can never 
consent to the setting up of a lower standard, nor can I 
ever be satisfied until I am conformed in all things to 
Him who was my Substitute on the cross, and is my 
Model in the glory. 

Having said thus much on the main principle of the 
section before us — a principle of unspeakable importance 
to Christians, in a practical point of view — I feel it need- 
less to enter into anything like a detailed exposition of 
statutes which speck for themselves in most obvious 



308 LEVITICUS. 

terms. I would merely remark that those statutes 
range themselves under two distinct heads, namely, first, 
those which set forth the shameful enormities which the 
human heart is capable of devising; and, secondly, those 
M^hich exhibit the exquisite tenderness and considerate 
care of the God of Israel. 

As to the first, it is manifest that the Spirit of God 
could never enact laws for the purpose of preventing 
evils that have no existence. He does not construct a 
dam where there is no flood to be resisted. He does 
not deal with abstract ideas, but with positive realities. 
Man is, in very deed, capable of perpetrating each and 
every one of the shameful crimes referred to in this 
most faithful section of the Book of Leviticus. If he 
were not, why should he be told not to do so. Such a 
code would be wholly unsuitable for angels, inasmuch 
as they are incapable of committing the sins referred to; 
but it suits man, because he has gotten the seeds of 
those sins in his nature. This is deeply humbling. It 
is a fresh declaration of the truth that man is a total 
wreck. From the crowm of his head to the sole of his 
foot, there is not so much as a single speck of moral 
soundness, as looked at in the light of the divine pre- 
sence. The beiog for whom Jehovah thought it needful 
to waite Leviticus xviii. — xx. must be a vile sinner ; but 
that being is man — the writer and reader of these lines. 
How plain it is, therefore, that ''they that are in the 
flesh cannot please God.'' (Rom. viii.) Thank God, the 
believer m ''not in the flesh, but in the Spirit." He has 
been taken completely out of his old creation-standing, 
and introduced into the new creation, in which the 
moral evils aimed at in this our section can have no ex- 



CHAPTERS XVIII. — XX. 309 

istence. True, he has gotten the old nature ; but it is 
his happy privilege to ''reckon" it as a dead thing, and 
to walk in the abiding power of the new creation, 
wherein "all things are of God." This is christian 
liberty — even liberty to walk up and down in that fair 
creation where no trace of evil can ever be found; 
hallowed liberty to walk in holiness and purity before 
God and man ; liberty to tread those lofty walks of per- 
sonal sanctity whereon the beams of the divine counte- 
nance ever pour themselves in living lustre. Keader, 
this is christian liberty. It is liberty, not to commit sin, 
but to taste the celestial sweets of a life of true holiness 
and moral elevation. May we prize more highly than 
we have ever done this precious boon of heaven — 
christian liberty 1 

And, now, one word as to the second class of statutes 
contained in our section — namely, those which so touch- 
ingly bring out divine tenderness and care. Take the 
following: ''And when ye reap the harvest of your 
land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, 
neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 
And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shah 
thou gather every grape of thy vinej^ard; thou shall 
leave them for the poor and stranger : I am the Lord 
your God." (Chap. xix. 9, 10.) This ordinance will 
meet us again in chapter xxiii., but there we shall see it 
in its dispensational bearing. Here, we contemplate it 
morally, as unfolding the precious grace ol Israel's God. 
He would think of " the poor and stranger;" and lie 
would have His people think of them likewise. When 
the golden sheaves were being reaped, and the mellow 
plu^ters gathered, " the poor and stranger " w^ere to o^ 



310 LEVITICUS. 

remembered by the Israel of God, because Jehovah was 
the God of Israel. The reaper and the grape-gatherer 
were not to be governed by a spirit of grasping covet- 
ousness, which would bare the corners of the field and 
strip the branches of the vine, but rather by a spirit of 
large-hearted, genuine benevolence, which would leave a 
sheaf and a cluster "for the poor and stranger," that 
they, too, might rejoice in the unbounded goodness of 
Him whose paths drop fatness, and on whose open hand 
till the sons of want may confidently wait. 

The Book of Ruth furnishes a fine example of one 
who fully Pitted out this most benevolent statute. '' And 
Boaz said unto her, (Ruth,) At meal-time come thou 
nither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the 
riiiegar. And she sat beside the reapers : and he reached 
jQer parched com, and she did eat, and was sufiBced and 
left. And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz com- 
manded his young men, saying. Let her glean even 
among the sheaves, and reproach her not: and let fall 
also some of the handfuls of purpose for her^ and 
leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her 
not." (Ruth ii. 14 — 16.) Most touching and beautiful 
grace I Truly, it is good for our poor selfish hearts to 
be brought in contact with such principles and such 
practices. Nothing can surpass the exquisite refinement 
of the words, '* let fall also some of the handfuls of 
purpose for her." It was, evidently, the desire of this 
noble Israelite that " the stranger " might have abund- 
ance, and hare it, too, rather as the fruit of her own 
gleaning than of his benevolence. This was the very 
essence of refinement. It was putting her in immediate 
connection with, and dependence upon, the God of Israel, 



CHAPTERS XVIII. — XX. 311 

who had fully recognized and provided for '^ the gleaner." 
Boaz was merely acting out that gracious ordinance of 
which Ruth was reaping the benefit. The same griice 
that had given him the field gave her the gleanings. 
They were both debtors to grace. She was the happy 
recipient of Jehovah's goodness. He was the honored 
exponent of Jehovah's most gracious institution. All 
was in most lovely moral order. The creature was 
blessed and God was glorified. Who would not own 
that it is good for us to be allowed to breathe such an 
atmosphere ? 

Let us now turn to another statute of our section. 
''Thou shalt not defraud thy neig'hbor, neither rob 
him : the wages of him that is hired shall not abide 
with thee all night until the morning." (Chap. xix. 
13.) What tender care is here ! The High and 
Mighty One that inhabiteth eternity can take know- 
ledge of the thoughts and feelings that spring up in 
the heart of a poor laborer. He knows and takes into 
account the expectations of such an one in reference to 
the fruit of his day's toil. The wages will, naturally, 
be looked for. The laborer's heart counts upon them ; 
the family meal depends upon them. Oh ! let them 
not be held back. Send not the laborer home v/ith a 
heavy heart, to make the heart of his wife and family 
heavy likewise. By all means, give him that for which 
he has wrought, to which he has a right, and on w hich 
bis heart is set. He is a husband, he is a father ; and 
he has borne the burden and heat of the day that bis 
wife and children may not go hungry to bed. Disap- 
point him not. Give him his due. Thus does our God 
take notice of the very throbbings of the laborer's 



312 LEVITICUS. 

heart, and make provision for his rising expectationa 
Precious grace! Most tender, thoughtful, touching, 
condescending love! The bare contemplation of such 
statutes is sufiScient to throw one into a flood of ten- 
derness. Could any one read such passages and not be 
melted? Could any one read them and thoughtlesslj 
dismiss a poor laborer, not knowing whether he and 
his family have wherewithal to meet the cravings of 
hunger ? 

Nothing can be more painful to a tender heart than 
the lack of kindly consideration for the poor, so often 
manifested by the rich. These latter can sit down to 
their sumptuous repast after dismissing from their door 
some poor industrious creature who had come seeking 
the just reward of his honest labor. They think not 
of the aching heart with which that man returns to his 
family, to tell them of the disappointment to himself 
and to them. Oh ! it is terrible. It is most offensive 
to God, and to all who have drunk, in any measure, 
into His grace. If we would know what God thinks of 
such acting, we have only to hearken to the following 
accents of holy indignation : *' Behold, the hire of the 
laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is 
of you kept back by fraud, crieth : and the cries of 
them that have reaped have entered into the ears of 
the Lord of Sabaoth." (James v. 4.) ''The Lord ot 
Sabaoth " hears the cry of the aggrieved and disap- 
pointed laborer. His tender love tells itself forth in 
the institutions of His moral government; and even 
though the heart should not be melted by the grace of 
those institutions, the conduct should, at least, be 
governed by the righteousness thereof. God will not 



CHAPTERS xvni. — XX. 313 

suffer the claims of the poor to be heartlessly tossed 
aside by those who are so hardened by the influence of 
wealth as to be insensible to the appeals of tenderness, 
and who are so far removed beyond the region of per- 
gonal need as to be incapable of feeling for those whose 
lot it is to spend their days amid exhausting toil or 
pinching poverty. The poor are the special objects of 
God's care. Again and again He makes provision for 
them in the statutes of His moral administration ; and 
it is particularly declared of Him who shall, ere long, 
assume, in manifested glory, the reins of government, 
that " He shall deliver the needy when he crieth ; tLe 
poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spta'e 
the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of ihe 
needy. He shall redeem their souls from deceit and 
violence ; and precious shall their blood be in his sigbt." 
(Psalm Ixxii. 12—14.) 

May we profit by the review of those precious and 
deeply practical truibsl May our hearts be affected, 
and our conduct influenced by them. We live in a 
heartless world ; and there is a vast amount of selfish- 
ness in our own hearts. We are not sufficiently affected 
by the thought of the need of others. We are apt to 
forget the poor in the midst of our abundance. We 
often forget that the very persons whose labor minis- 
ters to our personal comfort are living, it may be, in the 
deepest poverty. Let us think of these things. Let us 
beware of '' grinding the faces of the poor." If the J€> s 
of old were taught by the statutes and ordinance-^ of 
the Mosaic economy, to entertain kindly feelings towurd 
the poor, and to deal tenderly and graciously with tho 
SODS of toil, how much more ought the higher and iio^'o 
27 



314 LEVITICUS. 

epiritual ethics of the Gospel dispensation produce in 
the hearts and lives of Christians a large-hearted benevo- 
lence toward every form of human need. 

True, there is urgent need of prudence and caution, 
lest we take a man out of the honorable position in 
which h'e was designed and fitted to move — namely, a 
position of dependence upon the fruits, the precious and 
fragrant fruits, of honest industry. This would be a 
grievous injury, instead of a benefit. The example of 
Boaz should instruct in this matter. He allowed Ruth 
to glean ; but he took care to make her gleaning profit- 
able. This is a very safe and a very simple principle. 
God intends that man should work at something or 
another, and we run counter to Him when we draw our 
fellow out of the place of dependence upon the results 
of patient industry, into that of dependence upon the re- 
sults of false benevolence. The former is as honorable 
and elevating as the latter is contemptible and demoral 
izing. There is no bread so sweet to the taste as that 
which is nobly earned ; but then those who earn their 
bread should get enough. A man will feed and care 
his horses ; how much more his fellow, who yields him 
the labor of his hands from Monday morning till Satur- 
day night. 

But, some will say, '' There are two sides to this 
question." Unquestionably there are; and, no doubt, 
one meets with a great deal amongst the poor w^hich is 
calculated to dry up the springs of benevolence and 
genuine sympathy. There is much which tends to steel 
the heait, and close the band ; but, one thing is certain — 
it is better to be deceived in ninety-nine cases out of a 
hundred than to shut up the bowels of ompassioxi 



CHAPTERS xvin. — XX. 315 

against a single worthy object. Our heavenly Father 
causes His sun to shine upon the evil and on the good ; 
and sendeth rain upon the just and upon the unjust: 
The same sunbeams that gladden the heart of some de- 
voted servant of Christ are poured upon the path of some 
ungodly sinner ; and the selfsame shower that falls upon 
the tillage of a true believer, enriches also the furrows 
of some blaspheming infidel. This is to be our model. 
'' Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Father which 
is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. v. 48.) It is only as 
we set the Lord before us, and walk in the power of His 
grace, that we shall be able to go on, from day to day, 
meeting with a tender heart and an open hand every 
possible form of human misery. It is only as we our- 
selves are drinking at the exhaustless fountain of divine 
love aud tenderness, that we shall be able to go on min- 
istering to human need unchecked by the ofi-repeated 
manifestation of human depravity. Our tiny springs 
would soon be dried up were the}^ not maintained in un- 
broken connection with that ever-gushing source. 

The statute which next presents itself for our consid- 
eration, exemplifies, most touchingly, the tender care of 
the God of Israel. " Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor 
put a stumbling-block before the blind, but shall fear thy 
God : I am the Lord." (Ver. 14.) Here, a barrier is 
erected to stem the rising tide of irritability with which 
uncontrolled nature would be almost sure to meet the 
personal infirmity of deafness. How well we can under 
stand this ! Nature does not like to be called upon to 
repeat its words, again and again, in order to meet the 
deaf man's infirmity. Jdaovah thought of 'his, and 
pro^'ided for it. And what is the provision? ''Thou 



310 LEVITICUS 

sbalt fear thy God." When tried by a deaf person, re- 
member the Lord, and look to Him for grace to enable 
you to govern your temper. 

The second part of this statute reveals a most humili- 
ating amount of wickedness in human nature. The idea 
of laying a stumbling-block in the way of the blind, is 
about the most wanton cruelty imaginable ; and yet man 
is capable of it, else he would not be warned against it 
No doubt, this, as well as many other statutes, admits 
of a spiritual application; but that in nowise interferes 
with the plain literal principle set forth in it. Man is 
capable of placing a stumbling-block in the way of a 
fellow-creature afflicted with blindness. Such is man! 
Truly, the Lord knew what was in man when He w^ote 
the statutes and judgments of the Book of Leviticus. 

I shall leave my reader to meditate alone upon the re- 
mainder of our section. He will find that each statute 
teaches a double lesson — namely, a lesson with respect 
to nature's evil tendencies, and also a lesson as to Jeho- 
vah's tender care.* 

* Verses 16 and 17 demand special attention. *'Thou shalt 
not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people." This 
is a most seasonable admonition for the people of God, in 
every age. A talebearer is sure to do incalculable mischief. 
It has been well remarked that a talebearer injures three per- 
sons — he injures himself, he injures his hearer, and he injures 
the subject of his tale. All this he does directly ; and as to 
the indirect consequences, who can recount them? Let us 
carefully guard against this horrible evil. May we never 
suffer a tale to pass our lips ; and let us never stand to hearken 
to a talebearer. May we always know how to drive away a 
backbiting tongue with an angry countenance, as the norti* 
mid driveth away rain. 



CHAPTERS XXL, XXH. 311 



CHAPTERS XXL, XXII. 

These chapters unfold, with great minuteness of de- 
tail, the divine requirements in reference to those who 
were privileged to draw near as priests to ''offer the 
bread of their God." In this, as in the preceding sec- 
tion, we have conduct as the result, not the procuring 
cau^e of the relationship. This should be carefully 
borne in mind. The sons of Aaron were, in virtue of 
their birth, priests unto God They all stood in this 
relationship, one as well as another. It was not a mat- 
ter of attainment, a question of progress, something 
which one had, and another had not. All the sons of 
Aaron were priests. They were born into a priestly 
place. Their capacity to understand and enjoy their 
position and its atiendant privileges was, obviously, a 
different thing alto^^-^ther. One might be a babe ; and 
another might hav^ reached the point of mature and 
vigorous manhood. The former would, of necessity, be 
unable to eat of thv priestly food, being a babe for whom 
''milk ''and not '* ntrong meat'' was adapted; but he 
was as truly a piember of the priestly house as the man 
who could tread, with firm step, the courts of the Lord's 



In verse 17, w<3 learn what ought to take the place of tale 
bearing. **Thoushalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbor, ano 
not suffer sin upon him." In place of carrying to another a 
tale about my neighbor, I am called upon to go directly to 
himself and rebuk^bim, if there is anything wrong. This 
fs the divine method. Satan's method is to act the talebearer. 



318 LEviTicua 

house, and feed -pon 'Hhe wave breast" and ''heay« 

shoulder " of the sacrifice. 

This distinction is easily understood in the case of thf 
sons of Aaron, and, hence, it will serve to illustrate, in 
a very sirople manner, the truth as to the members of 
the true priestly house over which our Great High 
Priest presides, and to which all true believers belong. 
(Heb. iii. 6.) Every child of God is a priest. He is 
enrolled as a member of Christ's priestly house. He 
may be very ignorant ; but his position, as a priest, is 
not founded upon knowledge, but upon life. His experi- 
ence may be very shallow ; but his place as a priest does 
not depend upon experience, but upon life. His capacity 
may be very limited ; but his relationship as a priest does 
not rest upon an enlarged capacity, but upon life. He 
was born into the position and relationship of a priest. 
He did not work himself thereinto. It was not by any 
efforts of His own that he became a priest. He became 
a priest by birth. The spiritual priesthood, together 
with all the spiritual functions attaching thereunto, is 
the necessary appendage to spiritual birth. The capacity 
to enjoy the privileges and to discharge the functions of 
a position must not be confounded with the position it- 
self. They must ever be kept distinct. Relationship is 
one thing ; capacity is quite another. 

Furthermore, in looking at the family of Aaron, we 
see that nothing could break the relationship between 
him and his sons. There were many things which 
vould interfere with the full enjoyment of the privileges 
attaching to the relationship. A son of Aaron might 
"defile himself by the dead." He might defile himself 
by formittg an unholy alliance. He might have some 



CHAPTERS XXI., XXII. 319 

bodily "blemish." He might be " blind or lame." He 
might be "a dwarf." Any of these things would have 
interfered, very materially, with his enjoyment of the 
privileges, and his discharge of the functions pertaining 
to his relationship, as we read, '^No man that hath a 
blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh 
to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire : he hath 
a blemish: he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of 
his God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the 
most holy and the holy ; only he shall not go in unto the 
vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a 
blemish ; that he profane not my sanctuaries : for I the 
Lord do sanctify them." (Chap. xxi. 21 — 23.) But 
none of these things could possibly touch the fact of a 
relationship founded upon the established principles of 
human nature. Though a son of Aaron were a dwarf, 
that dwarf was a son of Aaron. True, he was, as a 
dwarf, shorn of many precious privileges and lofty dig- 
nities pertaining to the priesthood ; but he was a son of 
Aaron all the while. He could neither enjoy the same 
measure or character of communion, nor yet discharge 
the same elevated functions of priestly service, as one 
who had reached to manhood's appointed stature ; but 
he was a member of the priestly house, and, as such, 
permitted to '' eat the bread of his God." The rela- 
tionship was genuine, though the development was so 
defective. 

The spiiitaal application of all this is as simple as it 
is practical. To be a child of God, is one thing ; to be 
in the enjoyment of priestly communion and priestly 
woi\ship, is quite another. The latter is, alas ! interfered 
with by many things. Circumstances and associations 



320 LEVITICUS. 

are allowed to act upon us by their defiling influence 
We are not to suppose that all Christians enjoy the 
same elevation of walk, the same intimacy of fellowship, 
the same felt nearness to Christ. Alas! alas! they do 
not. Many of us have to mourn over our spiritual de- 
fects. There is lameness of walk, defective vision, 
stunted growth ; or we allow ourselves to be defiled by 
contact with evil, and to be weakened and hindered by 
unhallowed associations. In a word, as the sons of 
Aaron, though being priests by birth, were, neverthe- 
less, deprived of many privileges through ceremonial 
defilement and physical defects ; so we, though being 
priests unto God, by spiritual birth, are deprived of 
many of the high and holy privileges of our position, by 
moral defilement and spiritual defects. We are shorn 
of many of our dignities through defective spiritual de- 
velopment. We lack singleness of eye, spiritual vigor, 
whole-hearted devotedness. Saved we are, through the 
free grace of God, on the ground of Christ's perfect 
sacrifice. '' We are all the children of God, by faith in 
Christ Jesus;" but, then, salvation is one thing ; coca 
munion is quite another. Sonship is one thing ; obedi 
ence is quite another. 

These things should be carefully distinguished. The 
section before us illustrates the distinction with great 
force and clearness. If one of the sons of Aaron hap 
pened to be ''broken-footed, or broken-handed," was he 
deprived of his sonship ? Assuredly not. Was he de- 
prived of his priestly position ? By no means. It was 
distinctly declared, '' He shall eat the bread of His God, 
both of the miist holy and of the holy." What, then, 
did he lose by his physical blemish ? He was forbidden 



CHAPTERS XXI., XXII. 321 

to tread some of the higher walks of priestly service 
and worship. *' Only he shall not go in unto the vail, 
nor come nigh unto the altar." These were very serious 
privations ; and though it may be objected that a man 
could not help many of these physical defects, that did 
not alter the matter. Jehovah could not have a blem- 
ished priest at His altar, or a blemished sacrifice thereon. 
Both the priest and the sacrifice should be perfect. '' No 
man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest 
shall come nigh to offer the oflferings of the Lord made 
by fire." (Chap. xxi. 22.) "But whatsoever hath a 
blemish, that shall ye not offer ; for it shall not be accept- 
able for you." (Chap. xxii. 20.) 

Now, we have both the perfect priest, and the perfect 
sacrifice, in the Person of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. 
He, having ''offered himself without spot to God," 
passed into the heavens, as our great High Priest, 
where He ever liveth to make intercession for us. The 
Epistle to the Hebrews dwells elaborately upon these 
two points. It throws into vivid contrast the sacrifice 
and priesthood of the Mosaic system and the Sacrifice 
and Priesthood of Christ. In Him we have divine per* 
fectness, whether as the Victim or as the Priest. We 
have all that God could require, and all that man could 
need. His precious blood has put away all our sins ; 
and His all-prevailing intercession ever maintains us in 
all the perfectness of the place into which His blood has 
introduced us. "We are complete in Him ;" (Col. ii.) ; 
and yet, so feeble and so faltering are we in ourselves ; 
so full of failure and infirmity ; so prone to err and stum- 
ble in our onward way, that we could not stand for a 
moment, were it not that " He ever liveth to make inter- 
u 



322 LEVITICUS 

cession for us." These things have been dwelt upon in 
the earlier chapters of this volume; and it is, therefore, 
needless to enter further upon them here. Those who 
have anything like correct apprehensions of the grand 
foundation truths of Christianity, and any measure of 
experience in thb christian life, will be able to under- 
Btand how it is that, though '' complete in him who is 
the head of all principality and power," they, neverthe- 
less, need, while down here amid the infirmities, conflicts, 
and buffetings of earth, the powerful advocacy of their 
adorable and divine High Priest. The believer is 
'^washed, sanctified, and justified." (1 Cor. vi.) He 
is ** accepted in the beloved." (Eph. i. 6.) He can 
never come into judgment, as regards his person. (See 
John V. 24, where the word is xptaiv and not xixraxpLCiv.) 
Death and judgment are behind him, because he is 
united to Christ who has passed through them both, on 
his behalf and in his stead. All these things are divinely 
true of the very weakest, most unlettered, and inexpe- 
rienced member of the family of God ; but yet, inasmuch 
as he carries about with him a nature so incorrimblv 
bad, and so irremediably ruined, that no discipline can 
correct it, and no medicine cure it, inasmuch as he is 
the tenant of a body of sin and death — as he is sur- 
rounded, on all sides, by hostile influences — as he is 
called to cope, perpetually, with the combined forces of 
the world, the flesh, and the devil — he could never keep 
his ground, much less make progress, were he not upheld 
by the all-prevailing intercession of his great High Priest, 
who bears the names of His people upon His Ireast and 
upon His shoulder. 
Some, I am aware, have fouud great difficulty in 



CHAPTERS XXI., xxn. 323 

reconciling the idea of the believer's perfect standing in 
Christ with the need of priesthood. ''If," it is argued, 
"he is perfect, what need has he of a priest?" The 
two things are as distinctly taught in the word as they 
are compatible one with another, and understood in the 
experience of every rightly-instructed Christian. It is 
of the very last importance to apprehend, with clearness 
and accuracy, the perfect harmony between these two 
points. The believer is perfect in Christ ; but, in him- 
self, he is a poor feeble creature, ever liable to fall. 
Hence, the unspeakable blessedness of having One who 
can manage all his affairs for him, at the right hand of 
the Majesty in the heavens — One who upholds him 
continually by the right hand of His righteousness — 
One who will never let him go — One who is able tc 
save to the uttermost — One who is " the same yesterday, 
to-day, and for ever" — One who will bear him tri- 
umphantly through all the difficulties and dangers 
which surround him ; and, finally, ** present him fault- 
less before the presence of his glory with exceeding 
joy." Blessed for ever be the grace that has made 
such ample provision for all our need in the blood of a 
Spotless Victim and the intercession of a divine High 
Priest ! 

Dear christian reader, let it be our care so to walk, 
so to *' keep ourselves unspotted from the world," so to 
stand apart from all unhallowed associations, that we 
may enjoy the highest privileges and discharge the 
most elevated functions of our position as members of 
the priestly house of which Christ is 1he Head. We 
have '*l)oldness to enter into the holiest, through the 
«»lood 0^ Jesus " — " we have a great High Priest over 



324 LEVITICUa 

the house of Grod." (Ilcb. x.) Nothing can ever rob 
us of these privileges. But, then, our communion may 
be marred — our worship may be hindered — our holy 
functions may remain undischarged. Those ceremonial 
matters against which the sons of Aaron were warned, 
in the section before us, liave their antitypes in the 
christian economy. Had they to be warned against 
unholy contact? So have we. Had they to be warned 
against unholy alliance ? So have we. Had they to be 
warned against all manner of ceremonial uncleanness? 
So have we to be warned against '' all filthiness of the 
flesh and spirit." (1 Cor. vii.) Were they shorn of 
many of their loftiest priestly privileges by bodily blem- 
ish and imperfect natural growth ? So are we, by moral 
blemish, and imperfect spiritual growth. 

Will any one venture to call in question the practical 
importance of such principles as these? Is it not 
obvious that the more highly we estimate the blessings 
which attach to that priestly house of which we have 
been constituted members, in virtue of our spiritual 
birth, the more carefully shall we guard against every- 
thing which might tend, in any wise, to rob us of their 
enjoyment? Undoubtedly. And this it is which 
renders the close study of our section so pre-eminently 
practical. May we feel its power, through the applica- 
tion of God the Holy Ghost ! Then shall we enjoy our 
priestly place. Then shall we faithfully discharge our 
priestly functions. We shall be able '* to present our 
bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God." 
(Rom xll. 1.) We shall be able to '* offer the sacrifice 
of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our 
lips, giving thanks to his name." (Heb. xiii. 15.) We 



chapteh XXIII. 325 

shall be able, as members of the "spiritual house" and 
the "holy priesthood," to "offer up spiritual sacrifices, 
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (I Pet. ii. 5.) We 
shall be able, in some small degree, to anticipate that 
blissful time when, from a redeemed creation, the halle- 
lujahs of intelligent and fervent praise shall ascend to 
the throne of God and the Lamb throughout the ever- 
lasting ages. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

One of the most profound and comprehensive chap- 
ters in the inspired volume now lies open before us, and 
claims our prayerful study. It contains the record of 
the seven great feasts or periodical solemnities into 
which Israel's year was divided. In other words, it 
furnishes us with a perfect view of God's dealings with 
Israel, during the entire period of their most eventful 
history. 

Looking at the feasts separately, we have the Sab- 
bath, the Passover, the feast of unleavened bread, the 
first-fruits, Pentecost, the feast of trumpets, the day of 
atonement, and the feast of tabernacles. This would 
make eight, altogether ; but it is very obvious that the 
Sabbath occupies quite a unique and independent place. 
It is first presented, and its proper characteristics and 
attendant circumstances fully set forth ; and then, we 
read: " These are the leasts of the Lord, even holy con- 
28 

\ 

\ 



826 LEVITICUS 

vocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons." 
(Ver. 4.) So that, strictly speaking, as the attentive 
reader will observe, IsraePs first great feast was the 
Passover, and their seventh was the feast of tabernacles. 
That is to say, divesting them of their typical dress, we 
have, first, redemption; and, last of all, we have the 
millennial glory. The paschal lamb typified the death 
of Christ; (1 Cor. v. 7;) and the feast of tabernacles 
typified '*the times of the restitution of all things, of 
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy 
prophets, since the world began." (Acts iii. 21.) 

Such was the opening and such the closing feast of 
the Jewish year. Atonement is the foundation, glory 
the top-stone ; while, between these two points, we have 
the resurrection of Christ, (ver. 10 — 14,) the gathering 
of the Church, (ver. 15 — 21,) the waking up of Israel 
to a sense of their long-lost glory, (ver. 24 — 25,) their 
repentance and hearty reception of their Messiah. (Yer. 
21 — 32.) And that not one feature might be lacking in 
this grand typical representation, we have provision 
made for the Gentiles to come in at the close of the har- 
vest, and glean in IsraePs fields. (Yer. 22.) All this 
renders the picture divinely perfect, and evokes from the 
heart of every lover of Scripture the most intense 
admiration. What could be more complete ? The 
blood of the Lamb and practical holiness founded 
ttiereon — the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and 
His ascension into heaven — the descent of the Holy 
Ghost, in pcntecostal power, to form the Church — ^the 
awakening of the remnant — their repentance and restora- 
tion — the blessing of '' the poor and the stranger ''— 
the manifestation of the glory — ^the rest and blessedness 



/ 



CHAPTER xxin. 321 

of the kingdom. Such are the contents of this truly 
marvellous chapter, which we shall, now, proceed to 
examine in detail May God the Holy Ghost be our 
Teacher I 

** And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak 
unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, con- 
cerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim 
to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six 
days shall work be done; but the seventh day is the 
sabbath of rest, an holy convocation ; ye shall do no 
work therein : it is the sabbat h of the Lord in all your 
dwellings." The place whioh the sabbath here gets is 
full of interest. The LorJ is about to furnish a type 
Df all His dealings in p^rf^.co with His people ; and, ere 
He does so. He sets f^rtb the sabbath as the significant 
expression of that r:rt which rernaineth for the people 
Df God, It was a:^ a^tad solemnity, to be observed by 
Israel; but it vw^ao also a type of what is yet to be, 
when all that g^^at and glorious work which this chap- 
ter foreshadows shall have been accomplished. It is 
God's rest, into which all who believe can enter now in 
spirit; but which, as to its full and actual accomplish- 
ment, yet remains. (Ileb. iv.) We work now. We 
Bhall rest by and by. In one sense, the believer enters 
into rest; in another sense, he labors to enter into it. 
Ho has found his rest in Christ ; he hibors to enter into 
his rest in glory. He has found liis full mental repose 
in what Christ has wrought for him, and his eye rests 
on that everlasting sabbatii nwn which he shall enter 
when all his desert toils }>n'^ cnnflicts are over. He 
fj.annot re.st in the midst of a s''<uie nf sin and wrecched- 
i»ess. *' He rests in Christ, thu 8on of (rod, who took 



328 LEVITICUS. 

the sen ant's form." And, while thus resting, he is 
called to labor as a worker together with God, in the 
fall assurance that, when all his toil is over, he shall 
enjoy unbroken, eternal repose in those mansions of un- 
fading light and unalloyed blessedness where labor and 
sorrow can never enter. Blessed prospect! May it 
brighten more and more each hour in the vision of faith I 
May we labor all the more earnestly and faithfully, as 
being sure of this most precious rest at the end ! True, 
there are foretastes of the eternal sabbath; but these 
foretastes only cause us to long more ardently for the 
blessed reality — that sabbath which shall never be 
broken — that " holy convocation " which shall never be 
dissolved. 

We have already remarked that the Sabbath occu- 
pies quite a unique and independent place in this chap- 
ter. This is evident from the wording of the fourth 
verse, where the Lord seems to begin afresh with the 
expression, " These are the feasts of the Lord," as if to 
leave the Sabbath quite distinct from the seven feasts 
which follow, though it be, in reality, the type of that 
rest to which those feasts so blessedly introduce the 
soul. 

" These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convo- 
cations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In 
the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the 
liOrd's passover." (Yer. 4, 5.) Here, then, we have the 
first of the seven periodical solemnities — the offering of 
that paschal lamb whose blood it was that screened the 
Israel of God from the sword of the destroymg angel, 
on that terrible night when Egypt's firstborn were laid 
low. This is the acknowledged type of the death of 



CHAPTER XXin. 32^ 

Christ ; and, hence, its place in this chapter is divinely 
appropriate. It forms the foundation of all. We can 
know nothing of rest, nothing of holiness, nothing of 
fellowship, save on the ground of tht death of Christ 
It is peculiarly -fitriking, significant, and beautiful to ob- 
serve that, directly God's rest is spoken of, the next 
thing introduced is the blood of the paschal lamb. As 
much as to say, '' There is the rest^ but here is your 
title,^^ No doubt, labor will capacitate us, but it is the 
blood that entitles us to enjoy the rest. 

** And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the 
feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord : seven days ye 
must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall 
have an holy convocation ; ye shall do no servile work 
therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire 
unto the Lord seven days; in the seventh day is an 
holy convocation : ye shall do no servile work therein." 
(Ver. 6 — 8.) The people are here assembled round Je- 
hovah, in that practical holiness which is founded upon 
accomplished redemption; and, while thus assembled, 
the fragrant odor of the sacrifice ascends from the altar 
of Israel to the throne of IsraePs God. This gives us a 
fine view of that holiness which God looks for in the 
life of His redeemed. It is based upon the sacrifice, 
and it ascends in immediate connection with the accept- 
a'^le fragrance of the Person of Christ. ^' Ye shall do 
no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering 
made bu fire,''^ What a contrast ! The servile work of 
man's hands, and the sweet savor of Christ's sacrifice I 
The practical holiness of God's people is not servile 
labor. It is the living unfolding of Christ, through 
them, by tho power of the Holy Ghost. " To me to live 



830 . LEVITICUS. 

is Christ." This is the true idea. Christ is otir life ; 
and every exhibition of that life is, in the divine judg- 
ment, redijlent with all the fragrance of Christ. It may 
be a very trifling matter, in man's judgment; but in so 
far as it is the outflow of Christ our life,'it is unspeak- 
ably precious to God. It ascends to Him and can never 
be forgotten. ''The fruits of righteousness which are 
by Jesus Christ " are produced in the life of the believer, 
and no power of earth or hell can prevent their fragrance 
ascending to the throne of God. 

It is needful to ponder deeply the contrast between 
'' servile work," and the outflow of the life of Christ. 
The type is very vivid. There was a total cessation of 
manual labor throughout the whole assembly; but the 
sweet savor of the burnt offering ascended to God. 
These were to be the two grand characteristics of the 
feast of unleavened bread. Man's labor ceased, and 
the odor of the sacrifice ascended; and this was the 
type of a believer's life of practical holiness. What a 
thumphant answer is here to the legalist, on the one 
side, and the antinomian on the other ! The former is 
silenced by the words, ''no servile work;" and the 
latter is confounded by the words, " Ye shall offer an 
offering made by tire." The most elaborate works of 
man's hands are " servile ; " but the smallest cluster of 
*'the fruits of righteousness" is to the glory am* 
praise of God. Throughout the entire period of the 
believer's life, there must be no servile work; nothing 
of the hateful and degrading elemt-nt of legality. 
There should be only the continual presentation of the 
life of Christ, wrought out and exhibited by the power 
of the Holy Giost. Throughout the "seven days" of 



CHAPTER XXIII. 331 

IsraePs second great periodical solemnity, there was to 
be no ^Meaven;" but, instead thereof, the sweet 
savor of *' an offering made by fire " was to be pre- 
sented to the Lord. May we fully enter into the 
practical teaching of this most striking and instructive 
type I 

''And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Speak 
unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When 
ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and 
shall reap the harvest thereof, tben ye shall bring a 
sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest; 
and ye shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be 
accepted for you : on the morrow after the Sabbath the 
priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day, when 
ye wave the sheaf, an he lamb without blemish of the 
first year, for a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the 
meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine 
flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto 
the Lord for a sweet savor: and the drink offering 
thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. 
A.nd ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor 
green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought 
an offering unto your God : it shall be a statute for ever 
throughout your generations, in all your dwellings." 
(Ver. 9—14.) 

''But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become 
the firstfruits of them that slept." (1 Cor. xv. 20.) 
The beautiful ordinance of the presentation of the sheaf 
of firstfruits typified the resurrection of Christ, who, 
" at the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward 
the first day of the week," rose triumphant from the 
tomb, having accomplished the glorious work of re- 



332 LEVITICUS. 

demption. His was a ** resurrection from among tVe 
dead ;" aud, in it, we have, at once, the earnest and {Me 
type of the resurrection of His people. *' Christ the 
firstfruits; afterwards they that are Christ^s at his 
coming." When Christ comes, His people will be 
raised *' from among the dead ;" (fx vsxpw) that is 
those of them that sleep in Jesus. ** But the rest of 
the dead lived not again until the thousand years were 
finished." (Rev. xx. 5.) When, immediately after the 
transfiguration, our blessed Lord spoke of His rising 
*^froni among the dead,^^ the disciples questioned among 
themselves what that could mean. (See Mark ix.) 
Every orthodox Jew believed in the doctrihe of the 
*' resurrection of the dead," (avaataai^ vsxpuv,) But 
the idea of a "resurrection from among the dead," 
(ai/a<5Taatj fx vsxquv) was what the disciples were unable 
to grasp ; and, no doubt, many disciples since then have 
felt considerable difficulty with respect to a mystery so 
profound. 

However, if my reader will prayerfully study and 
compare 1 Cor. xv. with 1 Thess. iv. 13 — 18, he will 
get much precious instruction upon this most interest- 
ing and practical truth. He can also look at Romans 
viii. 11, in connection. "But if the Spirit of him that 
raised up Jesus from the dead (tx vsxpuiv) dwell in you, 
he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also 
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth 
in you." From all these passages it will be seen that 
the resurrection of the Church will be upon precisely the 
same principle as the resurrection of Christ. Both the 
H/^ad and the body are shown to be raised ** from among 



CHAPTER XXin. 333 

the dead." The first sheaf and all the sheaves that fol- 
low after are morally connected. 

It must be evident to any one who carefully ponders 
the subject, in the light of scripture, that there is a 
very material difference between the resurrection of the 
believer and the resurrection of the unbeliever. Both 
shall be raised ; but Revelation xx. 5, proves that there 
will be a thousand years between the two, so that they 
differ both as to the principle, and as to the time. Some 
have found difficulty, in reference to this subject, from 
the fact that, in John v. 28, our Lord speaks of *'the 
hour in the which all that are in the graves shall hear 
his voice." **How," it may be asked, '*can there be a 
thousand years between the two resurrections when 
both are spoken of as occurring in an *hour?'" The 
answer is very simple. In verse 28, the quickening of 
dead souls is spoken of as occurring in an '' hour ;" and 
this work has been going on for over eighteen hundred 
years. Now, if a period of nearly two thousand years 
*.an be represented by the word "hour," v/hat objection 
can there be to the idea of one thousand years being 
represented in the same way ? Surely, none whatever, 
especially when it is expressly stated that "the rest 
of the dead lived not again until the thousand years 
were finished." 

But, furthermore, when we find mention made of 
^^ Vi first resurrection," is it not evident that all are not 
to be raised together? Why speak of a "first" if 
there is but the one ? It may be said that " the first 
resurrection " refers to the soul ; but where is the scrip- 
ture warrant for such a statement ? The solemn fact is 
this when the " shout of the archangel and the trump 



334 UBVITICUS. 

of God" shall be heard, the redeemed who sleep in 
Jesus will be raised to meet Him in the glory. The 
wicked dead, whoever they be, from the days of Cain 
down, will remain in their graves, during the thousand 
years of millennial blessedness ; and, at the close of 
that bright and blissful period, they shall come forth 
and stand before ''the great white throne," there to be 
''judged every man according to his works," and to 
pass from the throne of judgment into the lake of fire. 
Appalling thought ! 

Oh 1 reader, how is it in reference to your previous 
soul ? Have you seen, by the eye of faith, the blood of 
the paschal Lamb shed to screen you from this terrible 
hour? Have you seen the precious sheaf of firstfruits 
reaped and gathered into the heavenly garner, as the 
earnest of your being gathered in due time? These 
are solemn questions, deeply solemn. Do not put them 
aside. See that you are, now, under the cover of the 
blood of Jesus. Remember, you cannot glean so much 
as a single ear in the fields of redemption until you 
have seen the true sheaf waved before the Lord. *' Ye 
shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, 
until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering 
unto your God." The harvest could not be touched 
until the sheaf of firstfruits had been presented, and, 
wkh the sheaf, a burnt offering and a meat offering. 

" And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after 
the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of 
the wav? offering: seven sabbaths shall be complete: 
even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye 
number fifty days ; and ye shall offer a new meat offering 
unto the T.ord Ye ?lrall bring out of your habitations 



CHAPTER XXITL 336 

two wave loaves, of two tenth deals : they shcJl he of 
fine flour ; they shall be baken with leaven ; they are the 
firs fruits unto the Lord." (Ver. 15—17.) Thifi is 
the feast of Pentecost — the type of God's people, gath red 
by the Holy Ghost, and presented before Him, in co0 
nection with all the preciousness of Christ. In the pass 
over, we have the death of Christ ; in the sheaf of firstr 
fruits, we have the resurrection of Christ ; and in the 
feast of Pentecost, we have the descent of the Holy 
Ghost tc form the Church. All this is divinely perfect. 
The death and resurrection of Christ had to be accom^ 
plished, ere the Church could be formed. The sheaf wag 
offered and then the loaves were baked. 

And, observe, ''They shall be baken with leaven.^ 
Why was this ? Because they were intended to fore- 
shadow those who, though filled with the Holy Ghost, 
and adorned with His gifts and graces, had, nevertheless, 
evil dwelling in them. The assembly, on the day of 
Pentecost, stood in the full value of the blood of Christ, 
was crowned with the gifts of the Holy Ghost; but 
there was leaven there also. No power of the Spirit 
could do away with the fact that there was evil dwell- 
ing in the people of God. It might be suppressed and 
kept out of view ; but it was there. This fact is fere- 
shadowed in the type, by the leaven in the two loav^?s ; 
and it is set forth in the actual history of the Chureh ; 
for, albeit God the Holy Ghost was present in the as- 
sembly, the flesh was there likewise to lie unto I im. 
Flesh is flesh, nor can it ever be made aught else 1 aan 
flesh. The Holy Ghost did not come down, on the lipy 
of Pentecost, to improve nature or do away with (tie 
&c^ of its incurable evil, but to baptize believers nta 



336 LEVHTCUS. 

one body, and connect them with their living Hea4 in 

heaven. 

Allusion has already been made, in the chapter on the 
peaC'C offering, to the fact that leaven was permitted in 
connection therewith. It was the divine recognition of 
the evil in the worshipper. Thus is it also in the ordi- 
nance of the "two wave loaves;" they were to be 
" baken with leaven,^^ because of the evil in the antitype. 

But, blessed be God, the evil which was divinely 
rocognized was divinely provided for. This gives great 
rest and comfort to the heait. It is a comfort to be 
assured that God knows the worst of us ; and, more- 
over, that He has made provision according to His 
knowledge, and not merely according to ours, " And ye 
shall offer with the bread, seven lambs ivithout blemish^ 
of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams ; 
they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with 
their meat offering and their drink offerings, even an 
offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord." 
(Ver. 18.) Here, then, we have, in immediate connec- 
tion with the leavened loaves, the presentation of an un- 
blemished sacrifice, typifying the great and all-important 
truth that it is Christ's perfectness and not our sinful^ 
ness that is ever before the view of God. Observe, 
particularly, the words, ''ye shall offer with the bread, 
seven lambs without blemish. " Precious truth ! Deeply 
precious, though clothed in typic dress! May the 
reader be enabled to enter into it, to make liis own of 
it, to stay his conscience upon it, to feed and refresh his 
heart with it, to delight his whole soul in it Not I, but 
Christ. 

It may, however, be objected that the fact of Christ'* 



CUAPTLR XXIIl 331 

being a spotless lamb is not sufficient to roil '.he burden 
of guilt from a sin-stained conscience — r sweot-savor 
offering would not, of itself, avail for a guilty sinner. 
This objection might be urged ; but our type fully meets 
and entirely removes it. It is quite true that a buriit 
offering would not have been sufficient where " leaven " 
was in question; and hence we read, '' Then ye shall 
sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two 
lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offeriugs.*^ 
(Ver. 19.) The "sin offering" was the answer 1o the 
" leaven " in the loaves — ** peace " was established, so 
that communion could be enjoyed, and all went up in 
immediate connection with the "sweet savor" of the 
" burnt offering " unto the Lord. 

Thus, on the day of Pentecost, the church was pre- 
sented, in all the value and excellency of CJirist, 
through the power of the Holy Ghost. Though having 
in itself the leaven of the old nature, that leaven was 
not reckoned, because the divine Sin Offering had per- 
fectly answered for it. The power of the Holy Ghost 
did not remove the leaven, but the blood of tho Lamb 
had atoned for it. This is a most interesting and im- 
portant distinction. The work of the Spirit in the 
believer does not remove indwelling evil. It enables 
him to detect, judge, and subdue the evil; but no 
amount of spiritual power can do away with the fact 
that the evil is there — though, blessed be God, the 
conscience is at perfect ease, inasmuch as the blood of 
our Sin Offering has eternally settled the whole ques- 
tion ; and, therefore, instead of our evil being under 
the eye of God, it has been put out of sight for ever, 
ind we are accepted in all the acceptableness of ChriF^t. 
29 ▼ 



338 LEVITICUS. 

who ofifered Himself to God as a sweet-smelling sacri 
fice, that lie mip:ht perfectly glorify llim in all things, 
and be the food of His people for ever. 

Thus much as to Pentecost — after which a long 
period is suffered to roll on ere we have any movemcnl 
amongst the people. There is, however, the notice of 
''the poor and stranger'^ in that beautiful ordinance 
which has already been referred to in its moral aspect. 
Here we may look at it in a dlspensational point of 
view. '* And w^hen ye reap the harvest of your land, 
thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of 
thy field w^hen thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather 
any gleaning of thy harvest ; thou shalt leave them unto 
the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.'* 
(Ver. 22.) Provision is here made for the stranger to 
glean in Israel's fields. The Gentile is to be brought 
in to participate in the overflowing goodness of God. 
When Israel's storehouse and winepress have been fully 
furnished, there will be precious sheaves and rich clus* 
ters for the Gentile to gather. 

We are not, hoAvever, to suppose that the spiritual 
blessings with which the Church is endowed in the 
heavenlies with Christ are set forth under the figure of 
a stranger gleaning in Israel's fields. These blessings 
are as new to the seed of Abraham as they are to the 
Gentile. They are not the gleanings of Canaan, but the 
glories of heaven — the glories of Christ. The Church 
i.s not merely blessed by Christ, but with and in Christ 
The bride of Christ will not be sent forth to gather up, 
as a stranger, the sheaves and clusters in the corners 
of Israel's fields, and from the branches of Israel'^ vines. 
>^o ; she tastes of -higher blessings, richer joys, aioblej' 



CHAPTER xxin. 339 

dignities than aught that Israel ever knew. She is not 
to glean as a stranger on earth, but to enjoy her own 
wealthy and happy home in heaven to which she be- 
longs. This is the ''better thing" which God hath, in 
His manifold wisdom and grace, ''reserved" for her 
No doubt, it will be a gracious privilege for "the 
stranger " to be permitted to glean after Israel's 
harvest is reaped; but the church's portion is incom- 
parably higher, even to be the bride of Israel's King, 
the partner of His throne, the gharer of His joys, 
His dignities, and His glories; to be like Him, and 
with Him, for ever. The eternal mansions of the 
Father's house on high, and not the ungleaned cor- 
ners of Israel's fields below, are to be the church's por 
tion. May we ever bear this in mind, and live, in some 
small degree, worthy of such a holy and elevated desti- 
nation 1 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Speak 
unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, 
in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a 
memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 
Ye shall do no servile work ; but ye shall offer an offering 
made by fire unto the Lord." (Ver. 23 — 25.) A new 
subject is introduced here, by the words, "the Lord 
spake unto Moses," which, let me remark in passing, 
affords an interesting help in classifying the subjects of 
the entire chapter. Thus, the sabbath, the passover, 
and the feast of unleavened bread, are given under the 
first communication. The wave sheaf, the wave loaves, 
and the ungleaned corners, are given under the secona ; 
after which we have a long unnoticed interval, and then 
comes the soul-stirring feast of trumpets, on the lirst 



340 LEVITICUS. 

iay of the seventh month. This ordinance leads us on 
to the time, now fast approaching, when the remnant of 
Israel shall '' blow up the trumpet " for a memorial, 
calling to remembrance their long-lost glory, and stirring 
up themselves to seek the Lord. 

The feast of trumpets is intimately connected with 
another great solemnity, namely, '' the day of atone- 
ment." ''Also on the tenth day of this seventh month 
there shall be a day of atonement : it shall be an holy 
convocation unto you ; and ye shall afflict your souls, 
and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And 
ye shall do no work in that same day ; for it is a day 
of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the 

Lord your God it shall be unto you a sabbath 

of lest, and ye shall afflict your souls : in the ninth day 
of the month at even, from even unto even shall ye 
celebrate your sabbath." (Yer. 27—32.) Thus, r fter 
the blowing of the trumpets, an interval of eight days 
elapses, and then we have the day of atonement, with 
which these things arc connected, namely, affliction of 
soul, atonement for sin, and rest from labor. All 
these things will find their due place in the experience 
of the Jewish remnant, by and by. '' The harvest is 
past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." 
(Jer. viii. 20.) Such will be the pathetic lament of the 
remnant when the Spirit of God shall have begun to 
touch their heart and conscience. "And they shall 
look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall 
aaourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, 
and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bit- 
terness for her firstborn. In that day shall there be a 
great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of 



CHAPTER XXIII. 341 

Ilacladrimmon in the valley of Mcgiddon. And the 
land shall mourn, every family apart," &c. (Zech. xii. 
10—14.) 

What deep mourning, what intense affliction, what 
genuine i)enitence there wdll be, when, under the mij2:hty 
action of the Holy Ghost, the conscience of the remnant 
shall recall the sins of the past, the neglect of the sal> 
bath, the breach of the law, the stoning of the prophets, 
the piercing of the Son, the resistance of the Spirit! 
All these things will come in array on the tablets of an 
enlightened and exercised conscience, and produce keen 
affliction of soul. 

But the blood of atonement will meet all. " In that 
day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of 
David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and 
for uncleanness." (Zech. xiii. 1.) They will be made 
to feel their guilt and be afflicted, and they will also be 
led to see the efficacy of the blood and find perfect peace 
— a sabbath of rest unto their souls. 

Now, when such results shall have been reached, in 
the experience of Israel, in the latter day, for what 
should we look? Surely, the glory. When the 
*' blindness" is removed, and ''the vail" taken away, 
when the heart of the remnant is turned to Jehovah, 
then shall the bright beams of the " Sun of righteous- 
ness " fall, in healing, restoring, and saving power, upon 
a truly penitent, afflicted, and poor people. To enter 
elaborately upon this subject would demand a volume in 
itself The exercises, the experiences, the conflicts, the 
trials, the difficulties, and the ultimate blessings of the 
Jewish remnant are fully detailed throughout the 
Psalms and Prophets. The existence of such a bod;y 



342 LEVITICUS. 

must be jlearly seen, ere the Psalms and Propheta 
can be studied with intelligence and satisfaction. Not 
but that we may learn much from those portions of 
inspiration, for '' all scripture is profitable." But the 
surest way to make a right use of any portion of the 
Word of God, is to understand its primary application. 
If, then, we apply scriptures to the Church or heavenly 
body which belong, strictly speaking, to the Jewish 
remnant or earthly body, we must be involved in 
serious error as to both the one and the other. In 
point of fact, it happens, in many cases, that the 
existence of such a body as the remnant is completely 
ignored, and the true position and hope of the Church 
are entirely lost sight of. These are grave errors which 
my reader should sedulously seek to avoid. Let him 
not suppose, for a moment, that they are mere specula- 
tions fitted only to engage the attention of the curious, 
and possessing no practical power whatever. There 
could not be a more erroneous supposition. What ! is 
it of no practical value to us to know whether we belong 
to earth or heaven? Is it of no real moment to us 
to know whether we shall be at rest in the mansions 
above, or passing through the apocalyptic judgments 
down here? Who coiild admit aught so unreasonable? 
The truth is, it would be difficult to fix on any line of 
truth more practical than that which unfolds the dis- 
tinctive destinies of the earthly remnant and the heavenly 
Chnrch. I shall not pursue the subject further, here; 
but the reader will find it well worthy of his calm and 
prayerful study. We shall close this section with a 
view of the feast of tabernacles— the last solemnity of 
the Jewish year. 



CHAPTER xxm. 343 

" And the liOrd spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this 
Beventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven 

days unto the Lord Also in the fifteenth day 

of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the 
fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord 
seven days : on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on 
the eighth shall be a sabbath. And je shall take you 
on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of 
palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows 
of the brook ; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your 
God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the 
Lord seven days in the year: it shall be a statute for 
ever in your generations : ye shall celebrate it in the 
seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days: 
all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths ; that 
four generation may know that I made the children of 
Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of 
the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God." (Ver. 83 
-4E.) 

This feast points us forward to the time of Israel's 
glory in the latter day, and, therefore, it forms a most 
lovely and appropriate close to the whole series of feasts. 
The harvest was gathered in, all was done, the store- 
houses were amply furnished, and Jehovah would have 
His people to give expression to their festive joy. But, 
alas! they seem to have had but little heart to enter 
into the divine thought in reference to this most 
delightful ordinance. They lost sight of the fact that 
they had been strangers and pilgrims, and hence their 
long neglect of this feast. From the days of Joshua 
flowx^ to the time of Nehemiah, the feast of tabernacles 



344 LEVITICUS 

had never once been celebrated. It was reserved foi 
the feeble remnant that returned from the Babylonish 
captivity to do what had not been done even in the 
bright days of Solomon. ^'And all the congregation 
of them that were come again out of the captivity made 
booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of 
Joshua the son of Nun, unto that day, had not the child* 
ren of Israel dene so. And there was very g. eat glad- 
ness.^' (Neh. viii. 17.) How refreshing it must have 
been to those who had hung their haips on the willows 
of Babvlon, to find themselves beneath the shade of the 
willows of Canaan ! It was a sweet foretaste of that 
time of which the feast of tabernacles was the type, 
when IsraePs restored tribes shall repose within those 
millennial bowers which the faithful hand of Jehovah 
will erect for them in th^ land which He sware to give 
unto Abraham and to bis seed for ever. Thrice happy 
moment when the heavenly and the earthly shall meet, 
as intimated, in ''the first day " and "the eighth day'' 
of the feast of tabernacles! ''The heavens shall hear 
the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn and the wine, 
and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel." 

There is a fine passage in the last chapter of Zecha- 
riah ^^ hich goes to prove, very distinctly, that the true 
celebration of the feast of tabernacles belongs to the 
glory of the latter day. " AikI it shall come to pass, 
that every one that is left of all the nations which came 
against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year 
to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep 
the feast of tabernacles." (Chap. xiv. 16.) What a 
scene ! Who would seek to rob it of its characteristic 
beauty by a vague system of interpretation falsely called 



CHAPTER xxin. 345 

spiritualizing? Surely, Jerusalem means Jerasalem; 
nations mean nations ; and the feast of tabernacles 
means the feast of tabernacles. Is there anything 
incredible in this? Surely, nothing save to man's 
reason which rejects all that lies beyond its narrow 
range. The feast of tabernacles shall yet be celebrated 
Jn the land of Canaan, and the nations of the saved shall 
go up thither to participate in its glorious and hallowed 
festivities. Jerusalem's warfare shall then be accom- 
plished, the roar of battle shall cease. The sword and 
the spear shall be transformed into the implements of 
peaceful agriculture; Israel shall repose beneath the 
refreshing shade of their vines and fig-trees ; and all the 
3arth shall rejoice in the government of **the Prince of 
Peace " Such is the prospect presented in the unerring 
pages of inspiration. The types foreshadow it; the 
prophets prophesy of it ; faith believes it ; and hope antici- 
pates it. 

Note. — At the close of our chapter we read, " And 
Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of 
the Lord,^^ This was their true character, their original 
title ; but in the Gospel of John, they are called ''feasts 
of the Jews,^^ They had long ceased to be Jehovah's 
feasts. He was shut out. They did not want Him; 
and, hence, in John vii., when Jesus was asked to go 
up to ''the Jews^ feast of tabernacles,^'^ He answered, 
** My time is not yet come ; " and when He did go up it 
was ** privately," to take His place outside of the whole 
thing, and to call upon every thirsty soul to come unto 
Him and drink. There is a solemn lesson in this. 
Divine institutions are speedily marred in the hands of 



B46 LEVITICUS. 

man ; but, oh ! bow deeply blessed to know that the 
thirsty soul that feels the barrenness and drought 
connected with a scene oi empty religious formality, 
has only to flee to Jesus and drink freely of His exhaust- 
less springs, and so become a channel of blessing lo 
others. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

There is very much to interest the spiritual mind in 
this brief section. We have seen in chapter xxiii. the 
History of the dealings of God with Israel, from the 
offering up of the true paschal Lamb, until the rest and 
glory of the millennial kingdom. In the chapter now 
before us, we have two grand ideas — namely, first, the 
unfailing record and memorial of the twelve tribes, main- 
tained before God, by the power of the Spirit, and the 
efficacy of Christ's priesthood ; and, secondly, the apos- 
tacy of Israel after the flesh, and divine judgment exe- 
cuted thereon. It is the clear apprehension of the former 
i^hat will enable us to contemplate the latter. 

*' And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command 
the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil 
olive, beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn 
continually. Without the vail of the testimony, in the 
tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it 
from the ereninq unto the morning, before the Lord 
continually ; it shall be a statute forever in your genera- 



CHAPTER XXIV. 347 

tions. He shall order the laiiips upon the pure eandle- 
Itiek before the Lord continually,''^ (Ver. 1 — 4.) The 
**pure oil" represents the grace of the Holy Spirit, 
founded upon the work of Christ, as exhibited by the 
candlestick of '' beaten gold." The " olive " was pressed 
to yield the *' oil," and the gold was ''beaten^^ to form 
the candlestick. In other words, the grace and light of 
the Spirit are founded upon the death of Christ, and 
maintained, in clearness and power, by the priesthood 
of Christ. The golden lamp diffused its light through- 
out the precincts of the sanctuary, during the dreary 
hours of night, when darkness brooded over the nation 
and all were wrapped in slumber. In all this we have 
a vivid presentation of God's faithfulness to His people 
whatever might be their outward condition. Darkness 
and slumber might settle down upon them, but the 
lamp was to burn '' continually." The high priest was 
responsible to keep the steady light of testimony burn- 
ing during the tedious hours of the night. "Without 
the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the con- 
gregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto 
the morning, before the Lord continually." The main- 
tenance of this light was not left dependent upon Israel. 
God had provided one whose office it was to look after 
it and order it continually. 

But, further, we read, "And thou shalt take fine 
flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two-tenth deals 
shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two 
rows, six in a row, upon the pure table before the Lord, 
ind thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, 
that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an 
offering made by fire unto the Lord. Every sabbath he 



34S LEVIIICUS. 

shall set it in order before the Lord continually^ being 
taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting 
covenant. And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' ; and 
they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy 
unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by 
a perpetual statute." (Yer. 5 — 9:) There is no 
mention of leaven in these loaves. They represent, I 
doubt not, Christ in immediate connection with "the 
twelve tribes of Israel." They were laid up in the 
sanctuary before the Lord, on the pure table, for seven 
days, after which they became the food of Aaron and 
his sons, furnishing another striking figure of Israel's 
condition in the view of Jehovah, whatever might be 
their outward aspect. The twelve tribes are ever before 
Him. Their memorial can never perish. They are 
ranged in divine order in the sanctuary, covered with 
the fragrant incense of Christ, and reflected from the 
pure table whereon they rest bcnea^ h the bright beams 
of that golden lamp which shines, with undimmed 
lustre, through the darkest hour of the nation's moral 
night. 

Now, it is well to see that we are not sacrificing 
sound judgment or divine truth on the altar of fancy, 
when we venture to interpret, after such a fashion, the 
mystic furniture of the sanctuary. We are taught, in 
Hebrews ix., that all these things were ''the patterns of 
things in the heavens;" and again, in Hebrews x. 1, 
that they were *'a shadow of good things to come.'' 
We are, therefore, warranted in believing that there are 
''things in the heavens " answering to the " patterns "— . 
that there is a substance answering to the "shadow.'' 
In a word, wg are warranted in believing that there la 



cnAPTER XXIV. 349 

that "in the heavens" which answers to "the seven 
lamps," **the pure table," and the *' twelve loaves." 
This is not human imagination, but clivinv^ truth on 
wliich taith has feci, in all ages. What was the mean- 
ing of Elijah's altar of ''twelve stones," on the top of 
Carmel ? It was nothing else than the expression of 
his faith in that truth of which the ''twelve loaves" 
were "the pattern" or "the shadow." He believed in 
the unbroken unity of the nation, maintained before God 
in the eternal stability of the promise made to Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, whatever might be the external condi- 
tion of the nation. Man might look in vain for the 
manifested unity of the twelve tribes; but faith could 
always look within the hallowed enclosure of the sanc- 
tuary, and there see the twelve loaves, covered wath 
pure frankincense, ranged in divine oi'der on the pure 
table ; and even though ali without were w^-apped in 
midnight's gloomy shades, yet could faith discern, by 
the light of the seven golden lamps, the same grand 
truth foreshadowed — namely, the indissoluble unity of 
Israel's twelve tribes. 

Thus it w^as then ; and thus it is now. The night is 
dark and gloomy. There is not, in all this lower world, 
so much as a single ray by which the human eye can 
trace the unity of Israel's tribes. They are scattered 
among the nations, and lost to man's vision. But their 
memorial is before the Lord. Faith owns this, because 
it Vnows that " all the promises of God are yea and 
wnen in Christ Jesus." It sees in the upper sanctuary, 
by the Spirit's perfect light, the twelve tribes faithfully 
memorialized. Hearken to the following noble* accents 
of faith : " And now I stand and am judged for the hope 
80 



350 LEVITICUS. 

of the promise made of God unto our fathers : unto whicli 
promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God night 
and day, (wxta xat, i^fispav,) hope to come.'' (Acts xxvi. 
6, 7.) Xow, if King Agrippa had asked Paul, "Where 
are the twelre tribes?" could he have shown them to 
him? No. Bat why not? Was it because they were 
not to be seen ? No ; but because Agrippa had not eyes 
to see them. The twelve tribes lay far beyond the 
range of Agrippa's vision. It needed the eye of faith 
and the gracious light of the Spirit of God to be able to 
discern the twelve loaves, ordered upon the pure table 
in the sanctuary of God. There they were, and Paul 
saw them there; though the moment in which he gave 
utterance to his sublime conviction w^as as dark as it 
well could be. Faith is not governed by appearances, 
It takes its stand upon the lofty rock of God's eternal 
word, and, in all the calmness and certainty of that holy 
elevation, feeds upon the immutable v/ord of Him who 
cannot lie. Unbelief may stupidly stare about and 
ask, Where are the twelve tribes ? or, How can they be 
found and restored ? It is impossible to give an answer. 
Not because there is no answer to be given ; but because 
unbelief is utterly incapable of rising to the elevated 
point from which the answer can be seen. Faith is as 
sure that the memorial of the twelve tribes of Israel is 
before the eye of Israel's God, as it is that the twelve 
loaves w^ere laid on the golden table every sabbath day. 
But who can convince the sceptic or the infidel of this? 
Who can secure credence for such a truth from those 
who are governed, in all things, by reason or sense, and 
know flothing of what it is to hope against hope? 
Faith finds divine certainties and eternal realities in 



CHAPTER XXIV. Sfei 

the midst of a scene where reason and sense can Siid 
nothing. Oh! for a more profound faith! May we 
grasp, with more intense earnestness, every word that 
proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord, and feed upon 
it in all the artless simplicity of a little child. 

We shall now turn to the second point in our cliaptet 
— namely, the apostacy of Israel, after the flesh, and the 
divine judgment thereon. 

** And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose fathel 
was an Egyptian, went . out among the child n'en of 
Israel ; and this son of an Israelitish woman and a 
man of Israel strove together in the camp. A ad the 
Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the 
LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto 

Moses And they put him in ward, that the 

mind of the Lord might be showed them. And the 
Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Bring forth him that 
hath cursed without the camp ; and let all that heard 
him lay their hands upon his head, and Jet all the 

congregation stone him And Mot?es spake to 

the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him 
that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him Avitb 
stones. And the children of Israel did as the Lord com- 
manded Moses." (Ver. 10—23.) 

The peculiar place assigned by the inspired penman 
to this narrative is striking and interesting. I have no 
doubt whatever but that it is designed to give us ths 
opposite side of the picture presented in the opening 
verses of the chapter. Israel after the flesh has griev- 
ously failed and sinned against Jehovah. The name 
of the Lord has been blasphemed amongst the Gentiles. 
Wrath has come upon the nation. The judgments of an 



852 LSVITICUS. 

offended God have fallen upon them. But the day is 

coming when the dark and heavy cloud of judgment 
shall roll away ; and then shall the twelve tribes, in their 
unbroken unity, stand forth before all the nations as the 
amazing monument of Jehovah's faithfulness and loving- 
kindness. " And in that day thou shalt say, Lord, I 
tvill praise thee ; though thou wast ^ingry with me, thine 
anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Be- 
hold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be 
afraid : for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my 
song, he also is become my salvation. Therefore with 
joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 
And in that day shall ye say. Praise the Lord, call upon 
his name, declare his doings among the people, make 
mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; 
for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all 
the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: 
for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." 
(Isa. xii.) ''For I would not, brethren, that ye should be 
ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your 
own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, 
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so 
all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall 
come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away 
ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto 
them, when I shall take away their sins As concerning 
the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as 
touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' 
^akes. For the gifts and calling of God are without 
repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed 
God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbe- 
lief: even so have these also now not believed in your 



C3HAPTER XXIV. 353 

mercy, that they also may obtain mercy. For God 
hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have 
mercy upon all. the depth of the riches both of the 
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable 
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! For 
who hath know^n the mind of the Lord ? or who hath 
been his counsellor ? Or who hath first given to him, 
and it shall be recompensed to him again ? For of him, 
and through him, and to him, are all things : to whom be 
glory for ever. Amen." (Rom. xi. 25 — 36.) 

Passages might be multiplied to prove that though 
Israel is suffering the divine judgment because of sin, 
yet **the gifts and calling of God are without repent- 
ance" — that though the blasphemer is being stoned 
without the camp, the twelve loaves are undisturbed 
within the sanctuary. '' The voices of the prophets " 
declare, and the voices of apostles re-echo the glorious 
truth that " all Israel shall be saved ; " not because they 
have not sinned, but because ''the gifts and calling of 
God are without repentance." Let Christians beware 
how they tamper with "the promises made unto the 
fathers." If these promises be explained away or tais- 
applied, it must, necessarily, weaken our moral sense of 
the divine integrity and accuracy of Scripture, as a 
whole. If one part may be explained away, so may 
another. If one passage may be vaguely interpreted; 
so may another ; and thus it would come to pass that 
we should be deprived of all that blessed certainty 
which constitutes the foundation of our repose in 
reference to all that the Lord hath spoken. But more 
of this as we dwell upon the remaining chapters of our 
book. 



S54 LEVITI0U8 



CHAPTER XXV. 

The intelligent reader will discern a strong moral link 
between this and the preceding chapter. In chapter 
XXIV. we learn that the house of Israel is preserved for 
the land of Canaan. In chapter xxv. we learn that the 
land of Canaan is preserved for the house of Israel. 
Taking both together, we have the record of a truth 
which no power of earth or hell can obliterate. '* All 
Israel shall be saved," and "the land shall not be sold 
for ever.'^ The fornaer of these statements enunciates a 
principle which has stood like a rock amid the ocean of 
conflicting interpretations; whilo the latter declares a 
fact which many nations of the uncircumcised have 
sought in vain to ignore. 

The reader will, I doubt not, observe the peculiar way 
in which our chapter opens. "And the Lord spake 
unto Moses in Mount Sinai.''^ The principal part of the 
communications contained in the Book of Leviticus is 
characterized by the fact of its emanating ''from the 
tabernacle of the congi'cgation." This is easily accounted 
f^r. Those communications have special reference to 
the service, communion, and worship of the priests, or 
to the moral condition of the people, and hence *hey 
are issued, as might be expected, from ''the tabernacle 
of the congregation," that grand centre of all that 
appertained, in any way, to priesily service. Here, 
however, the communication is made from quite a dif 



CHAPTER XXV. 855 

ferent point " The Lord spake unto Moses in Mount 
SinaV^ Now, we know that every expression in Scrip- 
ture has its own special meaning, and we are justified 
in expecting a different line of communication from 
"Mount Sinai "from that which reaches us from 'Hhe 
tabernacle of the congregation." And so it is. The 
chapter at which we have now arrived treats of Jeho- 
vah's claims as Lord of all the earth. It is not the 
worship and communion of a priestly house, or the in- 
ternal ordej'ing of the nation ; but the claims of God in 
government. His right to give a certain portion of the 
earth to a certain people to hold as tenants under Him. 
In a word, it is not to Jehovah in *Hhe tabernacle " — the 
place of worship ; but Jehovah in " Mount Sinai " — the 
place of government, 

*'And the Lord spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai, 
saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto 
them, When ye come into the land which I give you, 
then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. Six 
years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt 
prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; but 
in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the 
land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow 
thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth 
of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, 
neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed : for it 
is a year of rest unto the land. And the sabbath of 
the land shall be meat for you; for thee and for ihy 
servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and 
for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, and for tliy 
cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the 
increase there if be meat." (Ver. 1 — 1.) 



356 LEVITICUS. 

Here, then, we have the special feature of the Lord's 
land. He would have it to enjoy a sabbatic year, and 
in that year there was to be the evidence of the rich 
profusion with which He would bless those who held as 
tenants under Him. Happy, highly privileged tenantry ! 
What an honor to hold immediately under Jehovah I 
No rent I No taxes 1 No burdens ! Well might it be 
said, ^' Happy is the people that is in such a case ; yea, 
happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah.'' We know, 
alas! that Israel failed to take full possession of that 
wealthy land of which Jehovah made them a present. 
He had given it all. He had given it for ever. They 
took but a party and that for a time. Still, there it is. 
The property is there, though the tenants are ejected for 
the present. " The land shall not be sold for ever : for 
the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners 
with me, ''^ What does this mean, but that Canaan be- 
longs specially to Jehovah, and that He will hold it 
through the tribes of Israel? True, ''the earth is the 
Lord'?," but that is quite another thing. It is plain that 
He has been pleased, for His own unsearchable purposes, 
to take special possession of the land of Canaan, and to 
submit that land to a peculiar line of treatment, to mark 
it off from all other lands, by calling it His own, and to 
distinguish it by judgments, and ordinances, and period- 
ical solemnities, the mere contemplation of which en- 
lightens the understanding and affects the heart. W^here, 
throughout all the earth, do we read of a land enjoying 
a year of unbroken repose — a year of richest abundance ? 
The rationalist may ask, '' How can these things be ? " 
The sceptic may doubt if they could be ; but faith finds 
a satisfying answer from the lips of Jehovah : " And if 



CHAPTER XXV. 36T 

ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? 
behind, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase; 
then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth 
year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And 
ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit 
until the ninth year ; until her fruits come in ye shall 
eat of the old store." (Ver. 20—22.) Nature might 
say, " What shall we do for our sowingV^ God^s answer 
is, "I will command my blessing,'*^ God's " bles^sing '' 
is better far than man's *' sowing. '^ He was not going 
to let them starve in His sabbatic year. They were to 
feed upon the fruits of His blessing, while they cele- 
brated His year of rest — a year which pointed forward 
to that eternal sabbath that remains for the people of 
God. 

. **And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years 
unto thee, seven times seven years ; and the space of 
the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty 
^nd nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of 
the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh 
month; in the day of atonement shall ye make the 
trumpet sound throughout all your land." (Ver. 8, 9.) 
It is peculiarly interesting to note the various methods 
in which the millennial rest was held up to view, in 
the Jewish economy. Every seventh day was a sab- 
batic day; every seventh year was a sabbatic year; and 
every seven times seven years there was a jubilee. Each 
q,nd all of these typical solemnities held up to the 
vision of faith the blessed prospect of a time when labor 
and sorrow should cease ; when '* the sweat of the brow" 
would no longer be needed to satisfy the cravings of 
hunger J but when a millennial earth, enriched by the 



368 LEVITICUS. 

copious showers of divine grace, and fertilized by the 
bright beams of the Sun of righteousness, should pour 
its abundance into the storehouse and winepress of the 
people of God. Happy time! Happy people! How 
blessed to be assured that these things are not the pen- 
cillings of imagination, or the flights of fancy, but the 
substantial verities of divine revelation, to be enjoyed by 
faith which is '^the substance of things hoped for, the 
conviction of things not seen." 

Of all the Jewish solemnities the jubilee would seem 
to have been the most soul-stirring and enrapturing. 
It stood immediately connected with the great day of 
atonement. It was when the blood of the victim was 
shed, that the emancipating sound of the jubilee trump 
was heard through the hills and valleys of the land of 
Canaan. That longed-for note was designed to wake 
up the nation from the very centre of its moral being, 
to stir the deepest depths of the soul, and to send a 
shining river of divine and ineffable joy through the 
length and breadth of the land. *' In the day of atone- 
ment shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all 
your land." Not a corner was to remain unvisited by 
''the joyful sound." The aspect of the jubilee was as 
wide as the aspect of the atonement on which the jubilee 
was based. 

" And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim 
liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants 
thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall re- 
turn every man unto his possession, and ye shall return 
every man unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth 
year be unto you : ye shall not sow, neither reap that 
which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes iv it 



Chapter xxiii. 359 

nf thy vine undressed. For it is the jubilee ; it shall be 
holy unto you : ye shall eat the increase thereof out of 
llie field. In the year of this jubilee ye shall return 
every man unto his possession." (Ver. 8 — 13.) All 
estates and conditions of the people were permitted to 
feel the hallowed and refreshing influence of this most 
noble institution. The exile returned ; the captive was 
emancipated ; the debtor set free ; each family opened its 
bosom to receive once more its long-lost members; each 
inheritance received back its exiled owner. The sound 
of the trumpet was the welcome and soul-stirring 
signal for the captive to escape ; for the slave to cast 
aside the chains of his bondage ; for the manslayer to 
I'eturn to his. home; for the ruined and poverty-stricken 
to rise to the possession of their forfeited inheritance. 
No sooner had the trumpet's thrice-welcome sound fallen 
upon the ear, than the mighty tide of blessing rose 
iuajestically, and sent its refreshing undulations into 
ibe most remote corners of Jehovah's highly-favored 
land. 

** And if thou sell aught unto thy neighbor, or buyest 
aught of thy neighbor's hand, ye shall not oppress one 
another: according to the number of years after the jubilee 
thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according unto the 
number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee. 
According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase 
the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years 
thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the 
number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. 
Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou 
shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God." (Ver. 
14 — 17.) The year of jubilee reminded both buyer and 



360 LEVITICUS. 

seller that the land belonged to Jehovah, and was no* 
to be sold. '' The fruits " might be sold, but that was 
all — Johovah could never give up the land to any one. 
It is important to get this point well fixed in the mind. 
It may open up a very extensive line of truth. If the 
land of Canaan is not to be sold — if Jehovah declares it 
to be His for ever, then for whom does He want it ? 
Who is to hold under Him? Those to whom He gave 
it by an everlasting covenant, that they might have it in 
possession as long as the moon endureth — even to all 
generations. 

There is no spot in all the earth like unto the land of 
Canaan in the divine estimation. There Jehovah set 
up His throne and His sanctuary; there. His priests 
stood to minister continually before Him; there the 
voices of His prophets were heard testifying of present 
ruin and future restoration and glory ; there the Baptist 
began, continued, and ended his career as the forerunner 
of the Messiah ; there the Blessed One was born of a 
woman; there He was baptized; there He preached and 
taught; there He labored and died; from thence He 
ascended in triumph to the right hand of God ; thither 
God the Holy Ghost descended, in Pentecostal power ; 
from thence the overflowing tide of gospel testimony 
emanated to the ends of the earth ; thither the Lord of 
glory will descend, ere long, and plant His foot '' on 
the Mount of Olives;" there His throne will be re- 
established and His worship restored. In a word. 
His eyes and His heart are there continually ; its dust 
is precious in His sight; it is the centre of all Hia 
thoughtr and operations, as touching this earth ; and if 



CHAPTER XXV. 861 

is His purpose to make it an eternal excellency, the joy 
of many generations. 

It is, then, I repeat, immensely important to get a 
firm hold of this interesting line of truth with respect to 
the land of Canaan. Of that land Jehovah hath said, 
'^T IS MINE." Who shall take it from Him? Where 
is the king or the emperor, where the power, human or 
diabolical, that can wrest "the pleasant land" out of 
Jehovah's omnipotent grasp ? True, it has been a oone 
of contention, an apple of discord to the nations. It has 
been, and it will yet be, the scene and centre of cruel 
war and bloodshed. But far above all the din of battle 
and the strife of nations, these words fall with divine 
clearness, fulness, and powder, upon the ear of faith— 
^^ the land is mine I ^^ Jehovah can never give up that 
land, nor those "twelve tribes," through whom He is to 
inherit it for ever. Let my reader think of this. Let 
him ponder it deeply. Let him guard against all loose- 
ness of thought and vagueness of interpretation, as to 
this subject. God hath not cast away His people, or the 
land which He sware to give unto them for an ever- 
lasting possession. ** The twelve loaves " of Leviticus 
xxiv. bear witness to the former; and **the jubilee" of 
Leviticus xxv. bears witness to the latter. The memo- 
rial of the "twelve tribes of Israel" is ever before the 
Lord ; and the moment is rapidly approaching when the 
trump of jubilee shall be heard upon the mountains of 
Palestine. Then, in reality, the captive shall cast off 
the ignominious chain which, for ages, has bound him. 
Then shall the exile return to that happy home from 
which he has so long been banished. Then shall every 
debt be cancelled, every burden removed, and every teai 
81 



B62 LEVITICTJg. 

wiped away. " For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I wilt 
extend peace to her (Jerusalem) like a river, and the 
glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream : then shall 
ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be 
dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother 
comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be 
comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, j^our 
heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like 
an herb; and the hand of the Lord shall be known 
toward his servants, and his indignation toward his 
enemies. For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, 
and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his 
anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 
For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with 
all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many. 

For I know their works and their thoughts; 

It shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues ; 
and they shall come and see my glory. And 1 will set 
a sign among them, and I will send those that escape 
of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, 
that draw the bow; to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar 
ofT, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my 
glory ; and they shall declare my glory among the Gen- 
tiles. And they shall bring all your brethren for an 
oflfering unto the Lord, out of all nations, upon horses, 
and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and 
Upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, 
fiaith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offer- 
ing in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And 
I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith 
the Lord. For as the new heavens and the new earth, 
which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the 



CHAPTER XXV. §63 

Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And 
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, 
and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to 
worship before me, saith the Lord." (Isaiah Ixvi, 12— 
23.) 

And, now, let us look for a moment at the practical 
effect of the jubilee — its influence upon the transactions 
between man and man ** And if thou sell aught unto 
thy neighbor, or buyest aught of thy neighbor's hand, 
ye shall not oppress one another. According to the 
number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy 
neighbor, and according to the number of years of the 
fruits he shall sell unto thee." The scale of prices was 
to be regulated by the jubilee. If that glorious event 
were at hand, the price was low ; if far off, the price was 
high. All human compacts as to land were broken up 
the moment the trump of jubilee was heard, for the land 
was Jehovah's; and the jubilee brought all back to its 
normal condition. 

This teaches us a fine lesson. If our hearts are cher- 
ishing the abiding hope of the Lord's return, we shall 
set light by all earthly things. It is morally impossible 
that we can be in the attitude of waiting for the Son 
from heaven, and not be detached from this present 
world. "Let your moderation be known unto all men. 
The Lord is at hand." (Phil, iv.) A person may hold 
'^ the doctrine of the millennium," as it is called, or the 
doctrine of ''the second advent," and be a thorough man 
of the world ; but one who lives in the habitual expecta- 
tion of Christ's appearing must be separated from that 
which will be judged and broken up when He comes. 
It is not a question of the shortness and uncertainty of 



364 LEVITICUS. 

human life, which is quite true ; or of the transitory and 
unsatisfying character of the things of time, which is 
k'qually true. It is far more potent and influential than 
either or both of these. It is this, " Tlie Lord is at 
hand.^^ May our hearts be affected and our conduct in 
all things influenced by this most precious and sanctify 
ing truth ! 



CHAPTER XXVL 

This chapter requires little in the way of note or ex- 
position. It contains a most solemn and affecting record 
of the blessings of obedience, en the one hand, and the 
temble consequences of disobedience, on the other. Had 
Israel walked in obedience, they would have been in- 
vincible. '' I will give peace in the land, and ye shall 
lie down, and none shall make you afraid : and I will rid 
evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go 
through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, 
and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five 
of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you 
shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall 
fall before you by the sword. For I will have respect 
unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and 
establish my covenant with you. And ye shall eat old 
store, and bring forth the old because of the new. And 
1 will set my tabernacle among you : and my soul shall 
not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be 
four God, and ye shall be my people. I am the Lord 



CHAPTER XXVI. 365 

jrouf God, which brought you forth out of the land of 
Egypt, that ye should not be their bondsmen; and I 
have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go 
upright.'' (Ver. 6—13.) 

The presence of God should ever have been their 
shield and buckler. No weapon formed against them 
could prosper. But, then, the divine presence was only 
to be enjoyed by an obedient people. Jehovah could 
not sanction by His presence disobedience or wicked- 
ness. The uncircumcised nations around might depend 
upon their prowess and their military resources. Irjrael 
had only the arm of Jehovah to depend upon, and that 
arm could never be stretched forth to shield unHoMness 
or disobedience. Their strength was to walk with God 
in a spirit of dependence and obedience. So long as they 
walked thus, there was a wall of fire round about them, 
to protect them from every enemy and every evil. 

But, alas! Israel failed altogether. Notwithstanding 
the solemn and appalling picture placed before their eyes, 
in verses 14 — 33 of this chapter, they forsook the Lord 
and served other gods, and thus brought upon themselves 
'he sore judgments threatened in this section, the \t.XQ 
record of which is sufficient to make the ears tingle. 
Under the heavy weight of these judgments they are 
suffering at this very hour. Scattered and peeled, 
wasted and outcast, they are the monuments of Jeho- 
vah's inflexible truth and justice. They read aloud, to 
all the nations of the earth, a most impressive lesson on 
the subject of the moral government of God — a lesson 
which it would be profitable for these nations to study 
deeply, yea, and a lesson which it would be salutary for 
our own hearts to ponder likewise. 



366 LEViTictrs. 

We are very prone to confound two things whic^ are 
clearly distinguished in the word, namely, God'iS govern- 
ment and God's gy^ace. The evils which result from this 
confusion are various. It is sure to lead to an enfeebled 
sense of the dignity and solemnity of government, and 
of the purity, fulness, and elevation of grace. It is quit^ 
true that God in government reserves to Himself tht 
sovereign right to act in patience, long-suffering, and 
mercy; but the exercise of these attributes, in connection 
wnth His throne of government, must never be con- 
foundeo with the unconditional actings of pure and abso- 
lute grace. 

The chapter before us is a record of divine govern- 
ment, and yet, in it we find such clauses as the fo?low- 
ing: '^If they shall confess their iniquity, and the 
iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they 
■respasfied against me ; and that also they have walked 
contrary unto me, and that I also have vv^alked contrary 
unio them, and have brought them into the land of their 
enemies ; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, 
and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity : 
then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also 
my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with 
Ab~aham will I remember; and 1 will remember the 
!aad The land also shall be left of them, and shall en- 
joy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them; 
and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity : 
bocanse, even because they despised my judgments, and 
because their soul abhorred my statutes. And yet, for 
all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I 
will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to 
destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with 



CHAPTER XXVI. 367 

them : for I am the Lord their God. But I will for their 
sakes remen\ber the covenant of their ancestors, whom 1 
brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of 
the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.' 
(Ver. 40—45.) 

Here we find God in government, meeting, in long* 
suffering mercy, the very earliest and faintest breathinga 
of a broken and penitent spirit. The history of the 
judges and of the kings presents many instances of the 
exercise of this blessed attribute of the divine govern- 
ment. Again and again, the soul of Jehovah was 
grieved for Israel, (Judges x. 16,) and He sent them 
one deliverer after another, until at length there re- 
mained no hope, and the righteous claims of His throne 
demanded their expulsion from that land which thej 
were wholly incompetent to keep. 

All this is government. But, by and by, Israel will 
be brought into possession of the land of Canaan on the 
ground of unqualified and unchangeable grace — grace 
exercised in divine righteousness through the blood of 
the cross. It will not be by works of law ; nor yet by 
the institutions of an evanescent economy, but by that 
grace which ''reigns through righteousness, by Jesus 
Christ our Lord." Wherefore, they shall never again 
be driven forth from their possession. No enemy shall 
ever molest them. They shall enjoy undisturbed repose 
behind the shield of Jehovah's favor. Their tenure of 
the land will be according to the eternal etability of di- 
vine grace, and the efficacy of the blood of the everlast- 
ing covenant. '' They shall be saved in the Lord with 
an everlasting salvation." 

May the Spirit of God lead us into more enlarged 



368 LEVITICUS 

apprehensions of divine truth, and endow us with a 
greater capacity to try the things that dififer, and rightly 
to divide the word of truth I 



CHAPTER XXVIl. 

This closing section of our book treats of the ** singular 
vow," or the voluntary act whereby a person devoted 
himself or his property unto the Lord. '' And the Lord 
spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of 
Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a 
singular vow the persons shall be for the Lord by thy 

estimation. And thy estimation shall be after 

the shekel of the sanctuary." 

Now, in the case of a person devoting himself, or his 
beast, his house, or his field, unto the Lord, it was 
obviously a question of capacity or worth ; and, hence, 
there was a certain scale of valuation, according to age. 
Moses, as the representative of the claims of God, was 
called upon to estimate, in each case, according to the 
standard of the sanctuary. If a man undertakes to 
make a vow, he must be tried by the standard of right- 
eouEDess ; and, moreover, in all cases, we are called upon 
Co recognize the difference between capacity and title. 
I Exodus XXX. 15, we read, in reference to the atone- 
ment money, ''The rich shall not give more, and the 
poor shall not give less, than half a shekel, when they 
give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement 



CHAPTER XXVII. 369 

for your souls." In the matter of atonement all stood 
upon one common level. Thus it must ever be. High 
and low, rich and poor, learned and ignorant, old and 
young, all have one common title. '' There is no differ- 
ence." All stand alike on the ground of the infinite 
preciousness of the blood of Christ. There may be a 
vast difference as to capacity, as to title there is none. 
There may be a vast difference as to experience — as to 
title there is none. There may be a vast difference as to 
knowledge, gift, and fruitfalness — as to title there is 
none. The sapling and the tree, the babe and the 
father, the convert of yesterday and the matured be- 
liever, are all on the same ground. " The rich shall not 
give more, and the poor shall not give less." Nothing 
more could be given, nothing less could be taken. *' We 
have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of 
Jesus." This is our title to enter. Our capacity to 
worship, when we have entered, will depend upon our 
spiritual energy. Christ is our title. The Holy Ghost 
is our capacity. Self has nothing to do with either the 
one or the other. What a mercy ! We get in by the 
blood of Jesus ; we enjoy what we find there by the 
Holy Ghost. The blood of Jesus opens the door ; the 
Holy Ghost conducts us through the house. The blood 
of Jesus opens the casket ; the Holy Ghost unfolds the 
precious contents. The blood of Jesus makes the casket 
ours ; the Holy Ghost enables us to appreciate its rare 
and costly gems. 

But, in Leviticus xxvii., it is entirely a question of 
ability, capacity, or worth. Moses had a certain standard 
from which he could not possibly descend. He had a 
certain rule from which he could not possibly swerve. 



J570 LEVITICUS. 

If any one could come up to that, well ; if not, he had 
to take his place accordingly. 

What, then, was to be done in reference to the person 
who was unable to rise to the height of the claims set 
forth by the representative of divine righteousness ? Hear 
the consolatory answer: "But if he be poorer than thy 
estimation, then he shall present himself before the 
priest, and the priest shall value him ; according to his 
ability that vowed shall the priest value him." (Ver. 8.) 
In other words, if it be a question of man's undertaking 
to meet the claims of righteousness^ then he must meet 
them. But if, on the other hand, a man feels himself 
wholly unable to meet those claims, he has only to fall 
back upon grace, which will take him up, just as he is. 
Moses is the representative of the claims of divine 
righteousness. The priest is the exponent of the provi- 
sions of divine grace. The poor man who was unable 
to stand before Moses fell back into the arms of the 
priest. Thus it is ever. If we cannot '*cZ2^," we can 
** 6egr;" and directly we take the place of a beggar, it is 
no longer a question of what we are able to earn, but of 
what God is pleased to give. *' Grace all the work shall 
tjrown, through everlasting days." How happy it is to 
be debtors to grace 1 How happy to take when God is 
glorified in giving! When man is in question, it is in- 
finitely better to dig than to beg ; but when God is ra 
question, the case is the very reverse. 

I would just add, that I believe this entire chapter 
boars, in an especial manner, upon the nation of Israel 
It is intimately connected with the two preceding chap« 
ters. Israel made a " singular vow " at the foot of Mount 
Horeb ; but were quite unable to meet the claims of law 



CHAPTER XXVII. 371 

.—they were far '* poorer than Moses' estimation." But, 
blessed be God, they will come in under the rich provi- 
sions of divine grace. Having learnt their total inability 
'' to dig," they will not be '' ashamed to beg ;" and, hence, 
they shall experience the deep blessedness of being cast 
upon the sovereign mercy of Jehovah, which stretches, 
like a golden chain, **'from everlasting to everlasting." 
It is well to be poor, when the knowledge of our pov- 
erty serves but to unfold to us the exhaustless riches of 
divine grace. That grace can never suffer any one to 
go empty away. It can never tell any one that he is 
too poor. It can meet the very deepest human need ; 
and not only so, but it is glorified in meeting it. This 
holds good in every case. It is true of any individual 
sinner ; and it is true with respect to Israel, who, having 
been valued by the lawgiver, have proved ** poorer than 
his estimation." Grace is the grand and only resource 
for all. It is the basis of our salvation ; the basis of 
a life of practical godliness ; and the basis of those im- 
perishable hopes which animate us amid the trials and 
conflicts of this sin-stricken world. May we cherish a 
deeper sense of grace, and more ardent desire for the 
glory 1 

We shall here close our meditations upon this most 
profound and precious book. If the foregoing pages 
should be used of God to awaken an interest in a sec- 
tion of inspiration which has been so much neglected by 
ihe Church, in all ages, they shall not have been written 
b vain. 

C. H. M. 



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